It S Two Years Anwar Never Said He Wanted To Be Pm Earlier Dr M

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Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said PKR president Anwar Ibrahim had never stated that he wanted to take over the premiership earlier than the two years as suggested
"He did not say, 'I want to be (the prime minister) earlier' or anything like that," Mahathir said in an interview with Sin Chew Daily on Monday
However, the prime minister reiterated that he would keep his promise to step down in "over two years"
"I thought that I will give myself two years plus (or) a little bit more (time) perhaps. But I think I will keep my promise
"I think he is still in the position to be the prime minister when I step down. So, you can't say now that he will never be," he said
Mahathir added that Anwar's role as the leader of PKR which is part of the ruling coalition has made him eligible for the post compared to past leaders such as former deputy premier Musa Hitam and Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
The Pakatan Harapan chairperson, however, declined to weigh in on whether Anwar is the best person to lead the country
"No, I don't make an assessment on that. All I can say is that, at the time when we formed Harapan, we agreed that he should be my successor
"I never said whether he was good or bad... they wanted me to promise that I won't stay on as prime minister for a long time," he said
"I will be 95 years old (in two years). You know, very old," said the world's oldest serving premier
Mahathir added that he only wanted to fix the mess left by the previous administration and reform the government
Despite his repeated assurance that Anwar would succeed him as the eighth prime minister, doubts linger among those who keep track of the country's political development
In the recently concluded Bersatu annual general assembly, delegates called for Mahathir to stay for a full term as prime minister.  - Mkini

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