'After Apec' vague, transition date will dispel backdoor gov’t talk - PKR MP

A PKR MP has said the failure of the Pakatan Harapan leadership to finalise an actual transition date for the premiership between Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim would only further fuel talks of a backdoor government.

Subang lawmaker Wong Chen said a firm date would also accord stability and political certainty which would benefit policymaking and the economy.

“Today is supposed to be the 'big day' on the Pakatan Harapan transition plan... Expectation from the public is for an actual date (to be announced) to replace the vague reply of ‘after (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit) Apec’.

“‘After Apec’ can be anything, for instance, the year 2050 is also technically ‘after Apec’.

“If an actual date is announced, it would put to rest the talks about a backdoor government. The general public and the business community will then have some political certainty and hopefully, invest to turn around the economy,” he said in a series of tweets today.

His comments come as the Harapan presidential council is scheduled to discuss the transition issue tonight. This would be preceded by a pre-council meeting involving the coalition's top six leaders.

For the record, Wong is known to be aligned to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim. The party is seen to be split due to strained relations between the latter and deputy president Azmin Ali.

Mahathir had been vague over a handover date in honour of a coalition pact for him to hand over the premiership to Anwar, who is now PKR president, after a few years of taking over the government.

However, he previously repeatedly promised to step down after November's Apec summit in Kuala Lumpur.

“If a date is not announced, it will be status quo ... we will return to be [sic] distracted by persistent stories of SDs (statutory declarations) and a backdoor government. In fact, these stories will gather steam and play into the hands of Umno and PAS.

“Whatever they (Harapan) decide, they must know that there will be political and economic consequences,” Wong tweeted.

This comes amidst reports of a plot, later confirmed by Anwar, to keep the 94-year-old Mahathir in office for a full term.

The Sarawak Report recently claimed MPs are signing a statutory declaration (SD) in support of the prime minister.

However, Anwar said Mahathir was not involved in this campaign but PAS, those from Umno and a “handful” from PKR.

There are also efforts within Anwar's own party to secure two separate SDs - one in support of the PKR president and the other for Mahathir to serve out a full term.

On top of all this, PAS is also planning to move a vote of confidence at the next Dewan Rakyat sitting in March for Mahathir to continue leading the nation until the end of his term.

Meanwhile, Anwar denied yesterday that he would seek to pin down his once political rival Mahathir to state a specific handover date.

Instead, he would rather the nation focus on the economy, saying discussion on the transition “can be resolved in half an hour”.