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PKR dances around Mahathir-Anwar question

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How long will Mahathir be in charge? What role will Anwar have? PKR’s Saifuddin remains tight-lipped.

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Free Malaysia Today
Pakatan Harapan has previously said that Mahathir Mohamad would be prime minister until Anwar Ibrahim receives a royal pardon.

KUALA LUMPUR:
The possibility of Anwar Ibrahim soon re-entering politics has raised questions about the tenure of newly-appointed prime minister Dr Mahthir Mohamad. PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was tight-lipped about the duration of Dr Mahathir’s tenure as prime minister or what position would be held by Anwar Ibrahim after he ends his prison term.

“We are not talking about the time-frame. We should respect Dr Mahathir who just took his oath of appointment yesterday,” he told FMT at the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital today, where he was visiting Anwar.

Saifuddin said Pakatan Harapan would place Anwar in a deserving position for which he was qualified, but declined to discuss what this would be.

He denied that there was an effort to appoint Anwar as a senator and would not confirm if he would be made an advisor to the government.

“There would certainly be an effort to have an electoral process, but we have not discussed that yet,” he said.

He said all parties should show respect to Mahathir, 92, who is chairman of Pakatan Harapan and PPBM.

Pakatan Harapan had previously announced that Mahathir would serve as prime minister until Anwar, who is de facto head of PKR, receives a royal pardon for a sodomy conviction and becomes eligible to take part in political activities.

Anwar’s wife, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, has been named as deputy prime minister.

Mahathir announced earlier today that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had indicated last night his willingness to grant Anwar a full royal pardon.

Anwar’s five-year sodomy conviction bars him from political activities for five years after completion of his sentence. He is due to be released next month.

He would need to be elected an MP through a by-election or be appointed a Senator in order to be made a member of the Cabinet.

Anwar was deputy prime minister from 1990 to 1998 in Mahathir’s administration when both were in Umno. Anwar was dismissed by Mahathir in 1998 and went into opposition, forming PKR. Mahathir was expelled from Umno last year, formed PPBM, and became head of the Pakatan Harapan coalition of PKR, DAP, PPBM and Amanah.

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