SHAH ALAM: Datuk Seri Azmin Ali is offering his Gombak Parliamentary seat to Pakatan Harapan's prime ministerial candidate, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Revealing that the pact's next step is to give Dr Mahathir "a good seat" to contest in the next election (GE14), Azmin said the former prime minister could pull big votes in Gombak.
The PKR deputy president added that as a statesman, Dr Mahathir “should be able to move outside Kedah," and by contesting the Gombak seat, would create "excitement".
"(Dr Mahathir) was chosen by Pakatan leaders to be the next prime minister. So the next step is for Pakatan to secure him a good seat.
"Even though I won by a margin of votes (52 per cent), this is a Malay-majority (constituency) and was a stronghold of Umno for many decades. I believe Tun can pull bigger votes among Umno voters in the GE14," he said in a text message on Saturday.
Azmin was responding to a request for comment from the New Straits Times on his tweet announcing his readiness to make way for Dr Mahathir in Gombak.
In the post published via his tweet handle @AzminAli at about 10pm on Saturday, Azmin said he is ready to make way for the PPBM chairman in Gombak if PKR agrees to it.
He mentioned that he won two terms in 2008 and 2013, and one term in Hulu Kelang in 1999, which was also a state seat in Gombak – but he is sure that Dr Mahathir could garner bigger votes.
"As a statesman, he should be able to move outside Kedah. His presence in Gombak would create new excitement and (will have) a multiplier effect nationwide," Azmin said in another text message, when asked about what he thought Dr Mahathir's chances were in Gombak compared to Kubang Pasu and Langkawi in Kedah; and Putrajaya.
It was reported that Dr Mahathir expressed his intention to contest the Kubang Pasu, Langkawi or Putrajaya Parliamentary seat in the GE14.
Last Sunday, Pakatan announced Dr Mahathir, who ruled the country as prime minister for 22 years when he was with Umno, as their candidate for premier; and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was named his deputy in the run-up to GE14.