KUALA LUMPUR: 11 former PKR members of Parliament have unanimously pledged their support for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be appointed as the eighth Prime Minister.
They are Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and Zuraida Kamaruddin who were both sacked from PKR on Monday, and nine others who announced their departure from the party soon after the sacking.
The 11 were alleged to have made an attempt at forming a backdoor government, leading to the collapse of Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Mohamed Azmin, in a joint statement today said they pledged support for Dr Mahathir to lead the country until the end of the term for the sake of national reconciliation.
"As the country faces pressure from various uncertainties of world and domestic economy as well as the Covid-19 outbreak, the country needs to set aside political differences and concentrate on full unification and national unity."
He called upon all to set aside narrow politics and prioritise on what is important for the nation and its people.
Mohamed Azmin also thanked all Malaysians for being patient and calm through the political storm and the ongoing developments that took the nation by surprise.
"We are impressed by the maturity, fair and equitable attitude of Malaysians who have dealt with this crisis together in the hope of a better administration.
"As promised in the 14th general election, we will continue to serve the people to the best of our capacity, no matter what.
"Efforts in restoring the economy, generating growth, creating jobs, putting in place policies for the prosperity of the nation to be shared regardless of race and region will remain the objective.
"We feel the pulse of your life. We will fulfill your aspirations, ”he said in a statement after the 11 MPs had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara today.
He added that the 11 supported the desire for national reconciliation efforts, in which members from the house of representatives fully prioritised the people's aspirations and national agendas.
"This reconciliation will alleviate the power struggle between political parties and enable the mobilization of energy to achieve common goals and foster greater good for the nation," he said.
National reconciliation, Mohamed Azmin said was proposed as part of Dr Mahathir's leadership with the support of all those who wanted a more stable and developed Malaysia.
"We reiterate our full support for Dr Mahathir to be Prime Minister and we are fully committed in implementing this national reconciliation plan," he added.
Earlier, the 11 accidentally went to the third gate and managed to enter the palace for their one-on-one session with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah scheduled at 1pm.
The nine other MPs are Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Datuk Baru Bian, Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar, Datuk Mansor Othman, Datuk Rashid Hasnon, Datuk Seri Dr Santhara Kumar, Ali Biju, Willie Mongin and Jonathan Yasin.