Pakatan Harapan is now a recognised brand: Mahathir
Published on: Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Kuala Lumpur: Dr Mahathir Mohamad is reluctant to change the name Pakatan Harapan (PH) of the opposition coalition, to Barisan Rakyat.He said that PH is a recognised brand among voters."We will wait for the decision by the technical committee which will study the proposal.
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"But people are familiar with Pakatan Harapan, and that must be taken into consideration when deciding what we should call ourselves," the PPBM chairman told reporters after a meeting with PH leaders outside the Dewan Rakyat.The former prime minister was asked to comment on Muhyiddin Yassin's statement that a Malay-led opposition coalition called Barisan Rakyat was the best way to win the next general election against the ruling Barisan Nasional government.Muhyiddin, who is also PPBM president said, that if all the leaders in Pakatan Harapan were in agreement, the current opposition coalition should change its name to Barisan Rakyat."Maybe we can name the new coalition between Pakatan Harapan and Bersatu (PPBM) as Barisan Rakyat – Barisan Rakyat to fight against Barisan Nasional," the former Deputy Prime Minister had said.
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Apart from PPBM, PH also comprises DAP, PKR and Amanah.Mahathir also said the logo for PH will be discussed at a meeting next week.
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Malaysia's longest-serving premier had in the past pushed for the opposition coalition to put up a united front as well as contest under one logo and manifesto in the coming general election.When asked if he was excited that he would be taking part in the next general election – which he predicted will take place between September and March of next year – Mahathir said he was unsure if he would be contesting.He also expressed hope the opposition would be able to wrest Putrajaya from BN, adding that it was not impossible. "Nothing is permanent in politics and love."Meanwhile, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) President Mohamad Sabu said parties in Pakatan Harapan would register the pact as an official coalition before the next general election."We will be registering Pakatan and 18 senior leaders will be included in the registration ahead of the general election."Mohamad said the parties had decided to have a common manifesto and logo for elections.He added negotiations on seats were still at the initial stages as they did not know when the elections would be held.Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir was silent during the much-publicised meal with Umno Minister Nazri Aziz on Saturday because he was expecting Nazri to tell him he was quitting Umno."I thought he wanted to ask questions and that he wanted to tell me he wanted to resign from Umno," Mahathir said.It is believed Mahathir was referring to Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali's tweet in February which said there was talk that a senior minister was quitting his post over the 1MDB issue.The post caused a furore among the media, which were scrambling to uncover the identity of the Minister in question.Prime Minister Najib Razak responded, also via Twitter and Facebook, stating he had not been informed of any such thing and unless Azmin could name the Minister, he (Azmin) was lying.Azmin has stood by his post, saying he had been personally informed by the Minister himself.Nazri, who is Tourism and Culture Minister, had said the meal with Mahathir had taken place in an "awkward silence" which was due, on his part, to the "respect" for the former PM.Nazri said that back then, the unspoken rule was "you don't speak to him unless he speaks to you first".The two were spotted at a modest food stall in Kuala Kangsar, where they had cendol and laksa.Nazri had said one of Mahathir's aides had attempted to prevent the two from meeting when they first arrived.Mahathir, when asked if he was excited about the public debate over the 1MDB and Bumiputra Malaysia Finance controversies as well as the Saudi royal family's RM2.6 billion donation to the prime minister, said: "Of course, I am very excited."He added that he had long been prepared for such a debate.Nazri, who is the Padang Rengas MP, said the debate would be the best avenue to air their respective views.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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