KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday that he and five other members of Parliament will be an independent bloc inside and outside of Parliament together with Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan).
In a statement issued jointly with the other five MPs, Dr Mahathir said they were not part of any alliance.
The other five MPs are Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun), Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar), Dr Maszlee Malik (Simpang Renggam), Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah (Kubang Pasu) and Datuk Shahruddin Md Salleh (Sri Gading).
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Dr Mahathir, the MP for Langkawi, reiterated his stand to support Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal as the prime minister candidate for the opposition.
He said although the Pakatan Harapan (PH) presidential
council had nominated PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as its prime minister candidate, the decision did not involve him, his friends and Warisan.
“We are still holding to the proposal made at a meeting I had with leaders of Warisan, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) and DAP on June 25 this year,” he said.
Dr Mahathir claimed that Amanah and DAP had proposed Shafie as prime minister candidate and Anwar and Mukhriz as Deputy Prime Minister I and
DPM II respectively at that meeting.
The proposal to nominate Shafie for the prime minister’s post was a positive move that can strengthen relations between Peninsular Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak, he added. — Bernama