At the PBS Sandakan by-election ceramah last night, the UMNO acting president, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will not keep his promise of passing on the prime minister’s post to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and that he will sooner dissolve Parliament and call for fresh elections instead.
Mohamad even said that the 15th General Election could be called as soon as the end of next year.
Mohamad said he was familiar with Dr Mahathir’s character and from what he knows, the latter will not relinquish the post to Anwar.
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“I’ve worked with the grandpa for a long time. Trust me, I know the man; he won’t give it up.”
Today is the first anniversary of the historic decision of the Malaysian voters in the 14th General Election of May 9, 2018.
This first anniversary has come as a shock to UMNO/Barisan Nasional leaders for they had hoped that the Pakatan Harapan coalition of DAP, PKR, Bersatu and Amanah would crumble and disintegrate in a matter of months.
Now they are hoping that Pakatan Harapan will crumble and disintegrate with Mahathir refusing to pass the Prime Minister’s post to Anwar.
I have more confidence in Mahathir and I am prepared to have a wager with Mohamad that Mahathir will honour the Pakatan Harapan commitment to pass the Prime Minister’s post to Anwar.
If Mahathir does not pass the Prime Minister’s post to Anwar and instead dissolve Parliament to call for early 15th General Elections, I will retire from politics and will not contest in the 15th General Election.
If Mahathir keeps to his word and passes the Prime Minister’s post to Anwar, then Mohamad will withdraw from politics and will not contest in the 15th General Election.
Let us give Mohamad two days to decide whether to accept this wager with me.
(Speech by DAP MP for Iskandar Puteri Lim Kit Siang at the DAP Sandakan by-election ceramah in Taman Mesra, Sandakan on Thursday, May 9 2019 at 10 pm)