KOTA KINABALU: Pakatan Harapan does not have a lineup of capable successors to assume the prime minister post, unlike Barisan Nasional, says the Liberal Democratic Party.
LDP Youth chief Tsang Hieng Yee said Pakatan Harapan had encountered severe difficulties in selecting a PM candidate despite prolonged negotiations among its component parties.
“Before Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) joined in, there was no one who had sufficient influence, capability and the goodwill to assume the prime minister post.
“An when that person was announced as prime minister, the majority was satisfied. They finally found such a person in Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“But Dr Mahathir is too old to become the prime minister. When he is too old to govern, which would not be long from now, who is going to resume this important task?” he said.
Tsang was commenting on Pakatan’s move to name Dr Mahathir as the prime minister should they win the 14th General Election.
Tsang said the country needs a leader who is able to serve longer in order to see through the implementation and completion of plans.
Without a clear and secure suitable successor after Dr Mahathir, he said the country’s long-term stability and security would not be guaranteed.
“What is happening now in Pakatan, I think, is a sign that it lacks a potential capable and suitable candidates for the premiership, which is very important for the long-term stability and security of the country.
“It is not easy for (de facto opposition leader) Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to get a pardon. In Malaysia, everything is done according to the law. Even if Pakatan succeeds in forming the government, a royal pardon would not be necessarily given to Anwar,” said Tsang.