SABAH Chief Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal has been unanimously endorsed as prime minister candidate by DAP, Amanah, Parti Warisan Sabah and Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The three parties and the former prime minister also agreed that Anwar Ibrahim and Mukhriz Mahathir would be deputy prime ministers 1 and 2, Dr Mahathir said in a statement today.

“We have agreed to name Mohd Shafie Apdal as our candidate for prime minister,” he said in the statement that bore only his signature.

The agreement was reached at what Dr Mahathir called an informal meeting between the nonagenarian leader with Amanah, Warisan and DAP at the Sabah Guesthouse in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

Those attending were Shafie ,who is also Warisan president, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP chairman Tan Kok Wai, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and other party leaders Anthony Loke, M. Kulasegaran and Liew Chin Tong.

“During the discussion I was open to all suggestions including the proposal that I would not be nominated as the next prime minister.

“Among the suggestions was for Shafie to be prime minister. I fully support this as I believe it’s important for Malaysians to know our stand.

“We also agreed to nominate Anwar as deputy prime minister 1 and Mukhriz as deputy prime minister 2,” said Dr Mahathir.

He said the meeting centred on how to return the people’s mandate after the change of government by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his partners in late February.

Dr Mahathir said they decided to nominate Shafie for prime minister as the Sabah leader was opposed to the kleptocratic government led by former prime minister Najib Razak and had been one of his victims.

“Shafie was one of Najib’s early victims sacked as Umno vice-president when he could not accept the corruption done via the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

Dr Mahathir also said that the relationship between peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak will improve if they succeed.

In the statement, Dr Mahathir said he will again propose a no-confidence vote against Muhyiddin’s government.

“I hope those who are against the back-door government will support our efforts to restore the people’s mandate by supporting our bid to have Shafie as prime minister,” Dr Mahathir added. 

The issue of a prime minister candidate recently split Pakatan Harapan, as PKR is still backing Anwar for the post in the next general election.

Shafie has emerged as an alternative after PKR and Anwar refused to accept Dr Mahathir as prime minister candidate again. – June 27, 2020.