Pas Proposal For Pm To Be Under 70 Hard To Achieve Pundit

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It would be hard for prime ministerial candidates to be under the age of 70, as suggested by PAS, given the country’s political system, said political scientist Wong Chin Huat.
This is because by the time a politician climbs the political ladder - surviving several factional wars along the way - they might already be above 60 years old, he explained.
"If the push (from PAS for a younger PM) is motivated by winning the youth, perhaps the bar should be at least below retirement age at 60. The younger, around 40s-50s, the better it would be.
"But this is hardly possible when we don't even have mayoral elections," Wong (above) told Malaysiakini.
Earlier today, when PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang was asked if he wanted to be Perikatan Nasional’s prime minister candidate, the 77-year-old Marang MP said that those above 70 should not be in the role.
A leader must be healthy and strong, he added.
PAS president Abdul Hadi AwangThe question came as Hadi, during his earlier policy speech at the PAS muktamar in Alor Setar, Kedah, indicated the party's readiness to govern the country.
‘Clear push’ against Muhyiddin’s candidacy
Commenting on Hadi's remark, Wong said it was a "clear push" from PAS for Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin to pass the prime ministerial candidacy to someone younger.
"This means it's either Hamzah Zainudin (the latent challenger from Bersatu) or someone from PAS.
"This effectively undoes Bersatu's endorsement for Muhyiddin. Without PAS' support, Bersatu would have trouble retaining many of its marginal seats," the political analyst added.
In the last general election, PAS won 43 seats - the most of any party. Bersatu won 31 seats, but later sacked six MPs from the party for declaring their support for the government.
Bersatu’s Hamzah Zainudin and Muhyiddin YassinWong said Muhyiddin might have to endorse Hamzah if the former wished for his party to retain the candidacy.
"(But) if he (Muhyiddin) drags on and PAS pushes for its own PM candidate like (Terengganu Menteri Besar) Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, even Hamzah may miss the bus," he added.
During the Bersatu annual general meeting earlier this month, the party unanimously endorsed Muhyiddin as its candidate for the 11th prime minister.
However, the ongoing PAS muktamar has seen the Islamist party push for it to lead PN.
Earlier today, Muhyiddin said PN's top leaders will meet soon to discuss and decide the coalition’s prime minister candidate.
‘Absolutely impossible’ for Harapan
As for Pakatan Harapan, Wong said it would be "absolutely impossible" for the coalition to meet the requirement of a prime minister below 70 years old.
He pointed out that DAP cannot lead the coalition due to the perception that it is not Malay-friendly, while Amanah is too small.
Within PKR, the person directly below Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is his daughter, Nurul Izzah, but she lacks a parliamentary seat, he added.
PM Anwar Ibrahim and his daughter Nurul Izzah"Realistically speaking, no one in PKR - even (former party deputy president) Rafizi Ramli - has the stature to command support and respect from BN, GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak) and GRS (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah) as Anwar does.
"While Harapan can't do without Anwar in the 16th general election, it must show its commitment to end the prolonged rule of old men - best personified by (centenarian) Dr Mahathir Mohamad - by implementing the 10-year tenure limit for prime ministers before GE16," Wong said.
During the DAP congress in March, Anwar agreed with a proposed reform to limit the prime minister's time in office to only two terms.
Hadi responded to this with disagreement, claiming that limiting the prime minister's term to 10 years goes against God's will.
Mahathir also expressed disagreement, saying that a decade is not enough to implement successful progress. - Mkini

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