KUALA LUMPUR: PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali has slammed those who accused him of trying to form a “backdoor government”, labelling them as “desperate”.
He said those who were attempting to enter the government before the current administration ended were the ones who were trying to form a backdoor government.
His remarks were believed to be in a veiled reference to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and his supporters.
“I see this accusation as an attempt by a desperate group going against the democratic system that clearly states that a government is chosen every five years.
“Never before has a government that was elected through an election ended in one or two years.
“I hope those who are too obsessed with power will respect the mandate given by the people in the last (14th) general election where it was decided that the government would stay for five years.
“So, if there is anyone who wants to change the current government earlier, say in one or two years, that is the actual backdoor government,” he said at the Parliament lobby today.
Azmin said this when asked about claims that he was working with Sembrong member of parliament Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to form a backdoor government without the participation of DAP and Parti Amanah Negara to stop Anwar from succeeding Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The Economic Affairs Minister also said Dr Mahathir should continue running the office until the term ended in 2023.
Before GE14, Pakatan Harapan leaders had reached an agreement that Anwar would succeed Dr Mahathir after “one or two years” of winning the 2018 election.
However, Dr Mahathir recently said the transition of power could happen after “two or three years” while Anwar, during a speech in the Dewan Rakyat last week, said it would happen in exactly two years, which would be in May 2020.
Asked about this agreement, Azmin said a specific timeline for the transition of power had never been reached among PH leaders.
“It was just an understanding and in spirit, without any fixed timeframe.
“I dare any individual to tell the public that there was one time frame fixed for any time soon. There isn’t.
“So, why is this matter being played up?” he said.
In recent times, Anwar and Azmin have had a strained relationship, splitting PKR into two camps, after it was widely reported that Dr Mahathir favoured Azmin as his successor. Dr Mahathir has denied the claim.
The emergence of a sex video implicating Azmin, which he denied, had also caused further strain to his relationship with Anwar after the Gombak MP insinuated that Anwar’s supporters were behind the viral video.