It’s a long way off until the 16th General Election (GE16), but the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) already has someone in mind to nominate as the person who will replace Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Prime Minister.
However, Malaysians shouldn’t expect to find out the identity of the “mysterious figure” anytime soon.
PAS President said the party will not reveal its Prime Minister candidate out of fear for his safety
In the parliamentary session yesterday (15 October), PAS President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang said the party won’t reveal its Prime Minister candidate out of fear for his safety.
He also mentioned the risks of mentioning the candidate too early, saying that if the next Prime Minister candidate is announced, PAS fears that the individual may be bribed with gold bars or by drugs planted in their cars.
“This will disqualify the next person from contesting. This is something everyone needs to understand,” Hadi told the Parliament.
Perikatan Nasional focuses on winning the election first before considering who to be the Prime Minister
Hadi also stressed that Perikatan Nasional (PN) must first focus on winning the election before considering who will be the Prime Minister.
“If you don’t win the election, how can you become prime minister?” he said.The issue arose after coalition partner Bersatu’s annual general meeting passed a motion to nominate its president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, as PN’s candidate for Malaysia’s 11th prime minister. Abdul Hadi also said PN would seek to bring change to national leadership if it wins GE16.
He noted that PAS is introducing an Islamic-based selection process, in which candidates are assessed on integrity, knowledge, and character.
“If there is misconduct, it is not just misconduct against the party, but moral transgressions as well; the person will be expelled from the party, even if it means we have fewer seats.”
What do you think of PAS’s decision to keep a lid on the identity of the next candidate for PM?
This post first appeared on WORLD OF BUZZ.