KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today told DAP to stop hiding the fact that Lim Kit Siang is the de facto leader of Pakatan Harapan.
In a Twitter post today, Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said that even voters know that DAP holds most of the opposition’s seats.
“Lim Kit Siang is Pakatan’s de facto leader. DAP should stop trying to hide it. Voters know DAP has most Opposition seats & LKS calls the shots,” Najib said.
The Prime Minister’s comments come amidst a debate within the opposition fold over who is now the pact’s leader, especially after Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) and former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has linked up with Pakatan Harapan.
Furthermore, new DAP member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has claimed that Tun Mahathir is the opposition’s de facto leader, based on a “silent agreement” made among party chiefs.
That claim by Zaid provoked a rebuke from DAP central executive committee member Gobind Singh Deo, who denied that there was any such agreement.
The DAP holds 37 out of 89 opposition seats in the Dewan Rakyat.
Official opposition leader at Parliament is PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, whose party’s share of seats stands at 28.
Other opposition parties with much fewer seats are Pas (14), Parti Amanah Negara (6), Parti Sosialis Malaysia (1), PPBM (1) and Parti Warisan Sabah (2).
Meanwhile, former PKR leader Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is now an independent.