PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said today that Pakatan Rakyat will not back any constitutional change for only Malays to be appointed as prime minister.

Responding to a media report on PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin's policy speech on the matter, Anwar said that former had merely posed a challenge to Umno.

"(Changing the constitutional to guarantee a Malay PM) is not the stand of the youth wing, PKR or Pakatan.

"Because Umno keeps talking about Malays, so (Shamsul Iskandar) challenges Umno if they are willing, but his stand is Malaysia is tied to the present constitution and the principles of fairness and justice," he said.

In an obvious bid to control damage arising from yesterday's controversial speech, Anwar who spoke to reporters after the national congress opening in Johor said Pakatan MPs will not back the constitutional amendment.

"We will not support it. Our stand is to retain the existing constitutional provisions... Don't confuse our stand," he said.

Reading out from Shamsul Iskandar's speech, Anwar said this stand is "clear" and is the challenge was a "strategic" one by the youth chief.

Picking the right strategy

"His strategy, not mine," he said, agreeing, however, that PKR should pose a more progressive challenge.

"Umno cannot win because we will not support any constitutional

amendment (for this)," he said.

He also commented on the youth chief's call for Pakatan leaders to follow discipline, particularly on the issue of trimming the civil service as proposed by DAP publicity chief Tony Pua.

Anwar said the Pakatan leadership had met to discuss the issue and heard Pua's explanation, and agreed that reducing the number of civil servants is not the coalition's stand.

"What we want is efficient administration, whereby the duties outsourced to consultants are returned to the high ranking civil servants and to end things like the National Key Results Area which cost RM5 billion," he said.

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