Stop lying, PKR man tells Dr M on claim Anwar ignored him after pardon

(FMT) – A PKR assemblyman has slammed Dr Mahathir Mohamad for claiming that Anwar Ibrahim had refused to visit the then prime minister despite securing him a royal pardon for his past offences.

This comes after Mahathir claimed the PKR president was “cold and critical” towards him when he was PH’s prime minister, adding that Anwar had visited “everyone” but him after his royal pardon.

Kota Anggerik assemblyman Najwan Halimi told Mahathir to stop lying. He said Anwar had visited the Pejuang chairman numerous times after his release from prison.

Najwan, who is also the Selangor PKR Youth chief, told FMT Anwar had also reiterated his commitment to supporting Mahathir’s leadership as the prime minister multiple times.

“There was no issue of Anwar not caring about Tun (as claimed by Tun) after his release. Every time Anwar visited and met Tun, whether officially or unofficially, he reiterated his commitment to supporting Tun.

“In fact, every time he was asked by the media on the transition of power, Anwar maintained his commitment to support Tun and asked for Tun to be given the space to govern.

“So it is unnecessary for Tun to lie and make statements that depict the opposite,” he said.

In a Twitter post, Najwan pointed out that Anwar and his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, had visited Mahathir and his wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, on June 5, 2018, less than a month after his royal pardon on May 16.

Anwar had also shared numerous pictures of Anwar meeting Mahathir on different occasions, he said.

In an interview with Malaysia Gazette, Mahathir said Anwar refused to visit him after his release from prison and had also become “critical” of him over time.

He said this made him think twice about appointing Anwar as a minister.

“Of course, I’ve promised to appoint him as PM, but we must remember, for us to name someone to be PM, only the Parliament can decide who is qualified to be one,” he said

Mahathir had previously promised an eventual hand over of the prime minister’s post to Anwar after a few years as part of a PH consensus before the 2018 polls.