Pakatan Harapan to determine PM candidate at presidential council

PUTRAJAYA: Pakatan Harapan could determine its prime minister candidacy during its presidential council tomorrow, said coalition chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pix).
"We have yet to decide but tomorrow is the 4th and we are having the presidential council meeting. Tomorrow (perhaps) we will know (who will be the prime minister candidate)," he told reporters at the Yayasan Perdana Foundation, here, today.
On finalising the candidacy in time for the 14th General Election, the former premier said he would stand by the decision from all four parties in the coalition.
"I am unaware if there will be any problems from PKR's side but the party has not informed me," he said, adding that the issue of becoming a prime minister does not arise as he turns 93 this year and does not foresee himself becoming the prime minister until he reaches 100 years old.
PKR had earlier imposed three conditions before it endorses Dr Mahathir as the prime minister candidate for Pakatan Harapan.
The conditions include the immediate release of de facto PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from jail and installation as prime minister within a year of coming into power; for PKR to receive the biggest allocation of Federal seats to contest during elections, and for Mahathir to introduce reforms on key institutions in the country.
DAP, Amanah and Mahathir's party Bersatu had agreed to him and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail being the choice for the prime minister and deputy prime minister should Pakatan Harapan win the 14th General Election.
On another matter, Mahathir labelled PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang as a 'kafir' (infidel) and traitor to Muslims in the country for supporting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
"Hadi called Umno a kafir party. He said the government is a kafir government. Hadi said if you work with kafir people, you become kafir, so now he is kafir himself," he said.
He reitrerated that Hadi's controversial 'Amanat Hadi' in 1981 labelled the government as run by infidels and vowed to die fighting the government would gain one's entry into heaven.
He was responding to PAS' Dewan ulama chief Mahfodz Mohamed's response that Hadi's 1981 mandate was relevant at the time when Umno was under Dr Mahathir's leadership.
Mahathir also announced his intention to conduct a weekly question and answer session, beginning next week.
Called Harapan Baru: Policy Talks, Mahathir said he would open himself to the public every Wednesday to answer any question about Pakatan Harapan, from its manifesto for the upcoming elections to the opposition coalition's policies.
"We want feedback from the people when it is asked in the policy talk. I will answer what I can," he added.