DR Mahathir Mohamad has not changed his mind about the pact to hand over power to Anwar Ibrahim, and regrets that some quarters have tried to twist the situation to suit their own ends.

Anwar said this was among the things he discussed today with Dr Mahathir in a meeting at Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana in Putrajaya.

“Dr Mahathir’s stand on the transfer of power remains the same as mine, as agreed by Pakatan Harapan and of which he has repeatedly given his assurance.

“I told him that the transfer of power must be done in a peaceful and orderly manner within an agreed timeline,” the PKR president said in a statement.

“We also disagreed with attempts to deviate from the handover agreement and with attempts to use my or Dr Mahathir’s name for any sinister purposes.”

He said that he and Dr Mahathir agreed to focus on economic growth and preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Summit to be held next year in Kuala Lumpur.

The Port Dickson MP said the prime minister also took note of allegations against certain ministers who have handed out contracts to gain support. 

Anwar said he had the prime minister’s approval to issue a statement on these issues.

Under an agreement between the PH partners before the general election, Dr Mahathir is to relinquish power to Anwar.

Dr Mahathir has not set a timeline for the handover although he has repeatedly said he would stick to the agreement.

PH’s heavy defeat in the recent Tg Piai by-election renewed calls for the power transition to take place at once. Anwr’s deputy in PKR, Mohamed Azmin Ali is believed to be trying to amass support among Umno MPs to ensure Dr Mahathir serve out his term. – November 21, 2019.