LETTER | There have been many comments and contentions on Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to stand for Port Dickson by-elections and his re-entry into Parliament. Here are my views on some of the issues that were brought up.

Firstly, about the by-election being a 'waste of time and funds'.

It is quite clear that Anwar is the prime minister-in-waiting. Dr Mahathir Mohamad initially said that he would make way in two years but subsequently said the time frame could be shorter or longer.

Either way, a transition is very likely going to be held in the next two to three years. In this case, our prime minister-in-waiting should be someone who has legitimacy and be a representative of the people.

He should be contributing to the nation in every aspect from now and it is best he does so with a legitimate elected post as an MP.

A by-election is going to happen either way if Anwar is to be prime minister in the next few years, but it is better that it takes place now rather than later.

Secondly, some people believe that Anwar should 'wait his turn'.

As prime minister-in-waiting, Anwar will be the one who takes over to lead Malaysia in the next two to three years and there should be a clear facilitation and smooth transition of power when that happens.

Therefore, Mahathir and Anwar should deliberate and discuss decisions together beginning now to ensure there is no dysfunctional decision making ie. Mahathir makes a decision that is later changed by Anwar.

Although Anwar has said he will not join the cabinet, I believe that he should be appointed by Mahathir as Deputy Prime Minister.

This will ensure that policy decisions made by Mahathir now would be in consultation with Anwar and continue to be executed in the long term when Anwar takes over.

It is not a question of ‘waiting for his turn’, rather it is a question of how best to ensure a smooth transition of power.

Thirdly, some people believe that Wan Azizah Wan Ibrahim or Nurul Izzah Anwar should step down instead of other PKR MPs, calling this nepotism.

As Anwar has already clarified, there were several offers made by various MPs who were willing to step down and he chose Port Dickson because of Danyal Balagopal's willingness to work together with him to serve the people of Port Dickson.

I am sure if Wan Azizah was needed to step down, she would have done so willingly, given that she has already done it once before.

I do not believe that the issue of nepotism arises as both Wan Azizah and Nurul Izzah are capable MPs in their own right and are not in their positions simply because of who their family member is.

Both have served the people and have been fighting for change over the past 10 to 20 years. Their track records speak for themselves.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.