BERSIH 2.0 has thrown its support behind a government led by interim Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In a statement, the electoral reforms watchdog said given the choice between a government led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Perikatan Nasional’s Muhyiddin Yassin, it will go with the former.

They also demanded that Dr Mahathir names his successor as the deputy prime minister when he resumes power to avoid ambiguity in the transition process. 

The group’s steering committee said they are supporting Dr Mahathir provided that the government he forms is a PH government based on the coalition’s manifesto, the Buku Harapan.

They added that it could also be a PH government with new members, parties or individual parliamentarians, who must commit to the PH manifesto.

They also demanded that Dr Mahathir name his successor as the deputy prime minister.

Whether the successor is Anwar Ibrahim as agreed by the coalition during the 14th General Election or another candidate decided by the PH Presidential Council, the group said the transition plan must be clearly spelled out to avoid another political crisis.

The group’s steering committee said Dr Mahathir’s tenure should end in November or latest within two weeks after the Apec summit, which Malaysia will host.

“I think from the very beginning we have said it again and again that the weakness of the transition plan or the ambiguity will lead to a power struggle,” Bersih 2.0’s chairman Thomas Fann said in a press conference attended by a representatives of a host of civil society groups today.

“It will leave the door ajar for more people to jockey for that position because the position of the prime minister of Malaysia is a very coveted and a very powerful position,” he said, adding that this is crucial to avoid another political crisis.

He said this is a crisis created by politicians leaving the country without a functioning government.

Bersih 2.0 also wants a reconfigured PH government to recognise its weaknesses in the last 21 months and focus on pertinent issues such as managing the economy,  deepening institutional reform and improving communal relations amongst others.

On whether the group is in favour of snap polls if Parliament is dissolved, Fann said a general elections should be called only if the new administration is not a reconfigured PH government.

This, he said, is to return the mandate to the people and to give the elected government legitimacy.

The group also firmly rejected the formation of a backdoor government.

On whether a street rally is on the cards, they said it is still too early to declare a Bersih 6 rally as the situation is still unfolding and fluid at this point. – February 29, 2020.