SHAH ALAM: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) top leaders stuck out like sore thumbs when they did not raise the placards "Anwar as 7th PM" today before a crowd of PKR delegates here during the party's convention.
PPBM chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin did not raise the placards, with PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali looking awkwardly at both men.
Dr Mahathir was seen holding up his mobile phone to take pictures instead, while Muhyiddin only opted to provide an applause.
Dr Mahathir however later on signed a petition calling for Anwar's release from prison.
When asked if the reason he did not hold the placard was because he was the one who sent Anwar to jail, Dr Mahathir dismissed the claim.
"This is PKR congress. It's not me who put him (Anwar) in jail, that's an old story. (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib Razak is the one who put him in," he told reporters.
Pressed further on his choice of prime minister, Dr Mahathir said "that's up to everyone".
Later as he was entering his car, journalists asked if Anwar was his choice to be the next prime minister, Dr Mahathir simply smiled and gave a slight nod.
Last year, the former premier called for Muhyiddin to be the prime minister if the opposition won the next election.
Dr Mahathir – who now serves as a special adviser to Pakatan Harapan’s pro-tem committee – had said the opposition would collectively decide on who became the next prime minister if it won the election.
Anwar is currently serving a five-year sentence for sodomising his former aide and is due for release in 2020.
The country’s laws prevent him from contesting in an election or holding a political position for five years after his release.
Anwar was deputy prime minister and heir apparent to Dr Mahathir in the 1990s, until he was unceremoniously kicked out of the government and Umno following allegations of corruption and sexual misconduct.