PETALING JAYA: Tun Daim Zainuddin has declined suggestions for him to mediate the transition of premiership between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Instead, the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) chairman said the matter should be left to the Pakatan Harapan presidential council.
“About the power transition, let them decide. We (including the CEP) don’t want to interfere,” he said when asked during the Nation Building Conversations titled Poverty in Malaysia: Reality vs Perception at Sunway University, here, today.
Before the 14th General Election, the PH presidential council had come up with an agreement for Anwar to replace Dr Mahathir as prime minister after a certain time.
With no specific deadline fixed, discussions and controversies took centre stage on the possibility of Anwar’s ascending as prime minister.
However, last month during the Dewan Rakyat session, Anwar told the House that the power transition would take place two years after GE14, which would be in May next year.
On the Cabinet reshuffle which is expected to be announced next year, Daim said the matter would best be answered by Dr Mahathir.
“I don’t know about that. Ask our prime minister lah,” he said after the event.
On Nov 20, Dr Mahathir said there was a possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle, most probably before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting next year.
Dr Mahathir said the reshuffle would take into consideration the performance and capabilities of the ministers.
On a question regarding certain Malaysians’ perception that the Bumiputera appeared to be more superior than others in the country, Daim dismissed the notion.
“You (Bumiputera) are still struggling so how can you be superior? We are all equal in the eyes of God and under our country’s constitution.
“But of course there are also people who are better than others. For example, in badminton, Lee Chong Wei is better than other players.
“Or if you can sing as good as (popular singer Datuk Seri) Siti Nurhaliza then you are better than others too.
“But to say that the Bumiputera is more superior than others, I would like to ask, in what way are they superior?” he said.