ANTHONY Loke has confirmed the impasse in Pakatan Harapan Plus is over the pact’s choice for prime minister and deputy.

The DAP organising secretary, in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, said the coalition and its allies had explored two combinations for the top two positions.

He said the first involved proposing Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister and Mukhriz Mahathir as his deputy.

However, this combination was shot down by PH’s allies and it was proposed that Dr Mahathir Mohamad would be the prime ministerial candidate and Anwar his deputy.

He said during a PH Plus meeting on June 9, both suggestions were tabled but Warisan opposed the Anwar-Mukhriz combination and Dr Mahathir proposing he be given six months at the helm. 

At a follow-up meeting last Saturday DAP and Amanah favoured the Dr Mahathir-Anwar combination since the Anwar-Mukhriz combination could no longer be pursued. 

However, PKR decided to defer its decision.

Loke said it is important for PKR to state whether it agreed with this proposal.

“There must be a clear direction of the way forward. It can’t be neither here nor there… Once we have a decision, then we can move on. That is DAP’s position.

“We decided to speak (openly) today because we want a decision. We want deadlines to be kept. We do not want any indecisive leadership in PH,” he was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini today.

Loke’s disclosure today confirms a report by The Malaysian Insight yesterday that PH was in a limbo again as its parties cannot agree to how long Dr Mahathir should stay on as prime minister, should the coalition return to power.

After managing to agree that Dr Mahathir should be prime minister with Anwar as his deputy, the pact was now stuck on a timeline.

PH Plus comprises PKR, DAP and Amanah, and allies Warisan as well as Dr Mahathir’s faction from Bersatu.

Its leaders met last Saturday to cobble together an agreement as part of preparations for possible snap polls, as the current Perikatan Nasional government teeters on a slim majority.

At the meeting, a suggestion was made that Dr Mahathir be prime minister for a year instead of the six months originally proposed, a source said.

It cannot be verified which party had proposed six months and 12 months.

The proposal for Dr Mahathir as prime minister for six months was first made at the June 9 meeting.

This meeting did not reach a unanimous agreement on Dr Mahathir even being the prime ministerial candidate. – June 17, 2020.