The Malaysian Insight

PAKATAN Harapan (PH) is at risk of losing power if PKR leaders do not stop fighting each other, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the party’s leaders tonight.

Dr Mahathir, who is also PH chairman, said voters had given the coalition the mandate to lead Malaysia and it was no small feat for the ruling pact to have toppled the Barisan Nasional administration after six decades of rule.

“The mandate to rule that has been entrusted to us by the people is to repair what has been broken and right what has been wronged in the country.

“We need to ask ourselves, if we will continue to be given the people’s mandate if we continue to fight among ourselves. Without realising, because of our infighting, we end up losing power,” he said in his speech when officiating PKR’s leadership retreat in Port Dickson tonight.

Dr Mahathir also said all PH parties must focus on rebuilding the country and should not be content with merely winning the general election.

“To all members and leaders of PH components, PKR, Bersatu, DAP and Amanah, we need to press on in rebuilding the country and easing the people’s burdens.

“This has been entrusted to us and one day if we were to lose power, we will be measured by how much we have achieved in fulfilling the responsibilities and trust given to us,” Dr Mahathir said.

PKR is currently struggling with the fallout from a sex video that has implicated its deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, who is also economic affairs minister. He has denied being in the video and called it a plot to destroy his career.

Police, who are investigating the clip, have said the video’s authenticity is highly probable but that the faces of the two men in it cannot be identified. 

Police also said they do not dismiss the possibility that the video could be the work of a powerful party leader.

Police’s statements about their investigation into the video have led to lines being drawn within the party.

After PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said Azmin should resign if he was the person in the video, 28 party central committee leaders and lawmakers issued a statement asking Anwar to stop making divisive statements that hurt the party.

Azmin responded by telling Anwar to “look in the mirror”.

Today, six out of 14 PKR state chiefs signed a pledge in support of Anwar’s leadership of the party.

The six state chiefs are Johari Abdul (Kedah), Amran Kamaruddin (Perlis), Halim Bachik (Melaka), Azan Ismail (Terengganu), Zahir Hassan (Wilayah Persekutuan) and Supardi Md Noor (Kelantan).

Johari earlier said other state chiefs were expected to sign the pledge tonight, but at least one – Selangor chief Amirudin Shari, who is also menteri besar – has taken sick leave and is not at the retreat tonight.

Azmin is also absent tonight but is scheduled to deliver a speech as party deputy president tomorrow.

Anwar, at the retreat tonight, said Malaysia needed PH to set the country back on track and urged all the coalitions parties to stay united. – July 19, 2019.