DR Mahathir Mohamad, who is 92 going on 93, is not a hard sell to youth voters as the Pakatan Harapan prime minister candidate, said PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

He likened Dr Mahathir and the PH line-up, if the opposition wins federal power, as an “inclusive package”.

A package he describes as having the old, middle-aged and young.

“Youth voters need to look at the whole package we’re offering: an experienced former prime minister and the first woman deputy prime minister.

“We’ve also said that (PKR de facto leader) Anwar Ibrahim will be made the eighth prime minister,” Nik Nazmi told The Malaysian Insight.

He was commenting on the criticism from Barisan Nasional that Dr Mahathir is way past his retirement age and questions from activists as to why PH did not emulate countries like Canada and Iceland by choosing a younger prime minister candidate.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Iceland’s new Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir are both in their 40s.

Nik Nazmi, who is also PH Youth chief, said age should not be a factor as the UK’s Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is 68 and in the US, Bernie Sanders was 75 when he ran for president.

PH had announced Bersatu chairman Dr Mahathir as its prime minister candidate and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, 65, as his deputy should the opposition coalition win the 14th general election.

The coalition said it would also seek royal pardon for Anwar, 70, who is due to be released on June 8, so that he could succeed Dr Mahathir as soon as possible.

As former BN leaders, Dr Mahathir and Anwar can soothe loyal BN supporters in the event of a change in the federal government, Nik Nazmi said.

“You have to remember we have never had a change in the federal government. How will Najib concede defeat and how will government institutions – the police, army, Election Commission – react if BN loses (in GE14)?

“Anwar and Tun (Dr Mahathir), they were part of the federal government before. They know these people. They know how to handle them,” said the Selangor executive councillor.

Citing South Africa as an example, he said its former president, Nelson Mandela, chose to include the last white president F.W. de Klerk as his deputy, who helped Mandela dismantle the apartheid system.

“A lot of black people were unhappy with his decision but Mandela believed it was the way to a peaceful, inclusive transition.”

He said he can understand many still find it difficult to accept Dr Mahathir because of his past but he believes the former prime minister is not in it for personal gain.

“I believe he sincerely wants to save Malaysia.”

He said there is no way Bersatu can dominate PH like Umno does in BN as the seat distribution is relatively equal.

“It’s not like he can do whatever he wants, like how Umno ignores its smaller component parties like MCA, Gerakan, MIC, PPP to keep (flirting with) PAS.

“To be fair to Tun (Dr Mahathir), he listens to everyone in meetings.”

Out of 165 parliamentary seats in the peninsula, Bersatu is allocated 52, PKR (51), DAP (35) and Amanah (27).

Even in the unlikely event that Bersatu wins all 52 seats, the gap is still not as large as the one between Umno and smaller BN component parties in the peninsula, he said.

Nik Nazmi added that PH as a whole has far more young politicians in decision-making positions than BN.

“They may have one popular young leader in Khairy Jamaluddin. We have a whole team – PKR vice-presidents Rafizi (Ramli), Nurul Izzah (Anwar), (Bersatu Youth chief) Syed Saddiq (Syed Abdul Rahman), (DAP social media strategist) Yeo Bee Yin who are given responsibilities in the parties and states we rule.”

Selangor Speaker Hannah Yeoh (DAP) was the first woman and youngest person to be made speaker in 2013 and Penang’s Siti Aishah Shaik Ismail was only 30 when PKR appointed her as senator, he said.

Nik Nazmi also urged youth voters to compare the policies and programmes offered by PH and BN in their manifestos and not just concentrate on comparing their prime minister candidates.

PH has responded to the youth voters’ general sentiment to have higher wages, lower cost of living, more affordable homes, and a better managed economy by promising to take steps to achieve these aims in its manifesto, he said.

Nik Nazmi is also open to debate with BN Youth when it unveils its manifesto for youth voters. – January 16, 2018.