Anwar back as PH’s candidate for prime minister

Pakatan Harapan (PH) today announced that it would field Anwar Ibrahim as its prime ministerial candidate for the 15th general election, adding that the PKR president would lead the coalition’s campaign for the polls.

In a statement, it said the decision was made at the PH leadership retreat in Port Dickson on April 8 and 9.

“We call on the prime minister to immediately advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to call for a sitting of Parliament and to end the state of emergency,” it said.

Anwar had been a candidate for prime minister since the 1999 general election with the exception of 2018 when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was fielded instead.

The plan for Mahathir to hand over power to him after that never materialised.

In its statement, PH said it was open to discussions and cooperation with any party based on the principles and agenda of reform and in the interest of the people.

It also reiterated its commitment to strengthening the coalition in the run-up to the polls and displaying the ability to govern the country with trust in a fair and democratic manner.

“We will mobilise all elected representatives and state leaders to utilise all potential and capabilities to address policy issues related to economy recovery and the well-being of the people,” it said.

“We will also continue the process of engaging with all stakeholders to form the PH manifesto.”

To that end, it said it would embark on a series of road shows throughout the country to brief the people on PH’s stance and what it has to offer in terms of economy, political stability and the Covid-19 crisis.