KUALA TERENGGANU: Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia will propose Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (pic) as prime minister candidate if the party wins the mandate to form the next government after the 15th General Election, says council member Datuk Razali Idris.
He added that Muhyiddin, who is also the party’s president, is the most deserving candidate to assume the top post.
He also said that Muhyiddin has proven his ability when he was the country’s eighth prime minister for 17 months.
“Muhyiddin is Bersatu’s choice as prime minister candidate in the next general election because he resigned not because he was rejected by the people, but because 15 Barisan Nasional MPs led by Umno chief Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had retracted their support for his leadership.
“Muhyiddin will be proposed as the prime minister candidate because he is the party president, unlike Umno which has chosen its vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob,” Berita Harian quoted Razali as saying on Friday.
Razali said it is odd that Umno had proposed its party’s No.3, who is Ismail Sabri, for the prime minister’s post.
“People are wondering why a supreme council member of a party has been proposed as its prime minister candidate.
“Why were the top two leaders not selected? Are they not qualified to be prime minister?” he said.
Razali said Bersatu and all parties within Perikatan Nasional are standing firm in their support for Ismail Sabri as Prime Minister until the dissolution of Parliament.
Perikatan, he added, is not planning to topple Ismail Sabri as what was done by the 15 Barisan MPs against Muhyiddin last August.
“We in Perikatan including PAS will continue to support Ismail Sabri until he calls for a general election,” he said.