Parliament decides if I stay as PM, says Mahathir
(FMT) – Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the Dewan Rakyat holds more power than himself, stressing that he only became prime minister as he had the support of the majority of MPs.
When asked whether he will keep his promise to relinquish the top post to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, he said promises that are made must be kept.
He also emphasised that in the event that he chooses not to resign as prime minister, the Dewan Rakyat could still decide to drop him from the top post.
“They can decide for me to be prime minister or not. If I choose not to resign but the majority rejects me, I will be dropped.
“That’s how democracy works. The one in power is actually the Dewan Rakyat, its members,” he said in an interview with online news portal The Malaya Post.
Mahathir’s remarks come amid speculative talk in political circles of a confidence vote in the Dewan Rakyat, either to support Mahathir or to remove him.
Mahathir and Anwar have given conflicting accounts of when a transfer of power would take place.
Earlier today, PAS deputy president, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, said a vote of confidence in Mahathir’s leadership would be tabled next month.
“We see a need for him to stay on as prime minister until the end of this term. However, there appears to be a never-ending crisis and this has disrupted the political scenario and economy,” he told reporters at a monthly party meeting here today.
Various parties and MPs have urged Mahathir to set a clear date for the transfer of power to Anwar, leading the PKR president to call on PH members to refrain from discussing the transition of power in public.