Lina Soo
KUCHING: Parti Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak (Aspirasi) conditionally supports the nomination of Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal as the opposition’s prime minister-designate, says party president Lina Soo.
She said among the conditions would be for Mohd Shafie to look after the interests of Sabah and Sarawak upon taking office as prime minister, such as by returning Labuan to Sabah and restoring the rights of the two Borneo states over their oil and gas.
Having said that, Soo also said it was not up to former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to say who should become the country’s prime minister.
“The people and voters also do not have the indulgence to vote for who they want to be prime minister,” she said when contacted yesterday, with regard to reports that Dr Mahathir had endorsed
Mohd Shafie as the opposition’s choice to be the next prime minister.
Soo remarked that under Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall appoint an MP whom His Majesty believes could command the majority support of his peers as Prime
Minister.
“There is no specific rule how our Agong makes his decision, and it is his prerogative and wisdom to appoint the prime minister,” she added.
She also said Dr Mahathir had no power to decide on who should be deputy prime minister, pointing out that there was no provision in the Constitution for the position of deputy prime minister – let alone two as suggested by the former premier.
Dr Mahathir, on Saturday, endorsed the proposal for Mohd Shafie to become the prime minister if Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its allies were to take over Putrajaya.
He said the proposal was backed by Amanah, DAP and Warisan leaders, which
would see PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir both be made deputy prime ministers.
Anwar and PKR leaders, however, were absent from the meeting.
Soo, meanwhile, said she found it more shocking that DAP was ready to ‘dance with Mahathir to the hilt’ in its bid to return to power, even if it meant abandoning its PKR allies.
“By being accomplice to this ‘quirky’ proposal, it shows the political bankruptcy of DAP politics.
“Having tasted power, they are hungry for more and are willing to forsake their political allies and the people in their power games,” she said.