Anwar: We Should Leave Tun M Alone
The Prime Minister said that Dr Mahathir Mohamad needs to accept the truth about the situation, saying, "We have got to read the signals, when it is done, it is done."
By Sadho Ram — 14 Feb 2023, 05:45 PM
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has shared a complex relationship with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, thinks the latter should be left alone
Anwar, who became the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia last year, much to the chagrin of Mahathir, was speaking during an interview with Thai PBS World when he was asked about the former two-time prime minister's performance in the 15th General Election (GE15), where he failed to defend his Langkawi seat.
Mahathir recently expressed sadness while admitting that he could not understand why voters rejected him.
"I was voted out and lost 14,000 votes. I do not know what I did wrong. What did I do?" New Straits Times quoted the former Langkawi member of parliament (MP) as saying on 4 February.
When asked what was his advice to Mahathir, Anwar said that he needs to accept the truth about the situation, saying, "We have got to read the signals, when it is done, it is done."
According to Anwar, while Mahathir has done his part, he also committed many blunders and, for now, the country has to "move on"
"We have to accept this reality, the sooner myself, him, or anybody accepts the fact that we have a role, (the better)," Anwar said, adding that "at the right time, (the country) will even move on" beyond him.
Mahathir returned to active politics prior to GE14, where he won the Langkawi seat, and was appointed as the seventh prime minister
He, however, reneged on his promise to hand over the premiership to Anwar after his pardon.
Mahathir's refusal to hand over the office of Prime Minister to Anwar contributed to a political crisis that led to Mahathir's resignation as prime minister and the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020.
Following which, a political crisis plagued Malaysia that lasted until GE15 last year. During this period, the country saw two new prime ministers being appointed, both of whom failed to retain power.
