Ramasamy hits out at Azmin’s call to let Dr M complete term

(FMT) – DAP’s P Ramasamy slammed Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali following his remarks that Dr Mahathir Mohamad should remain as prime minister throughout Pakatan Harapan’s five-year mandate.

The Penang deputy chief minister II said questioning the plan for Mahathir to hand over power to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim was the “worst form of back door entry” to power.

“If Mahathir should be allowed to serve the full term of five years, then Azmin should explain whatever happened to the agreement in PH that Mahathir should hand over power to Anwar in a matter of two years,” he said in a statement today.

Under an agreement struck by PH before the 14th general election, Mahathir is supposed to hand over power to Anwar, his former protege, although no date was specified for this. However, a two-year time frame has been bandied about.

Ramasamy said 94-year-old Mahathir may be “fickle” about a date but the fact remained that he was appointed on an interim basis.

He said if Azmin, who is the PKR deputy president, felt that if Anwar was not an appropriate candidate to succeed Mahathir, he should have the “honesty and decency” to say it openly.

“Azmin might have differences with Anwar but these should not influence him to negate the succession agreement,” he said, adding that Azmin must “get it in his head” that Mahathir was only an interim PM.

“If Anwar was not incarcerated during the time of the last general election, he would have been the prime minister, not Mahathir. Azmin must be careful not to undermine or sabotage Anwar’s ascension to power.”

Ramasamy said Azmin cannot pretend that there was no agreement stipulating Mahathir’s handover of power to Anwar.

“I hope that Azmin realises the serious implications arising from the non-compliance of the historic agreement hatched before the last election.

“Non-compliance to the plan will render the present government as illegitimate,” he said, adding that Azmin had “shot himself in the foot” by questioning the succession plan.

Earlier today, Azmin repeated his call for Mahathir to stay on as prime minister for a full term, amid claims that he secretly met a former Umno leader to stop Anwar from taking over the top post.

He dismissed claims that he was plotting to stop Anwar from becoming the prime minister and said Mahathir remaining in the post would act as a guarantee to investors that the political landscape in the country was stable and that the economy was on the right track.