KUALA LUMPUR: PKR said it was willing to hold further discussion surrounding the Pakatan Harapan Plus prime ministerial candidate issue but the decision on the matter must be made by the pact's presidential council.
PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said this was despite the party's previous stance that it would only endorse its president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the pact's prime minister candidate.
"Although PKR had previously stated its stance on the prime minister candidate issue, PKR is willing to discuss but any decision by PH must be made by the PH presidential council.
"Any new suggestion should not be treated as a political game by any leader," he said in a statement after attending PKR central leadership council meeting today.
On Saturday, former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Parti Warisan Sabah, Parti Amanah Negara and DAP had unanimously agreed to nominate Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal as PH Plus' prime ministerial candidate in an informal meeting on June 25.
According to the Langkawi Member of Parliament, it was also suggested for Anwar to be nominated as the Deputy Prime Minister 1 and former Kedah MB Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir to be made Deputy Prime Minister 2.
In a statement later the same day, Amanah and DAP said although Shafie was a viable option, the parties would have to first hold internal discussions before any decision could be made.
Amanah and DAP had recently pledged support for Dr Mahathir to be the PH prime ministerial candidate instead of Anwar.
Saifuddin said the PKR central leadership council was of the opinion that the cooperation between all parties within PH must also be strengthened.
"At the same time, we would like to remind all quarters to be mindful and not be trapped in any effort to pit parties within PH against each other, as what was previously done to PKR," he said.
Leaders from DAP and Amanah had mostly been on Anwar's side since 1998 when the latter was sacked from the then Dr Mahathir-led cabinet.