Pakatan Harapan should cease speculating on candidates for the prime minister and deputy prime minister posts should the opposition coalition seize federal power, said PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli.

He said the people do not appreciate such discussions and that this would provide ammunition for BN.

"The more we talk about who is going to be prime minister, we are losing touch with the people from whom we need votes.

"I don't have an opinion on who is going to be prime minister. I just think that this (speculation) should be stopped," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

Rafizi said whenever the opposition discusses their prime minister candidate or shadow cabinet, the Umno propaganda machine goes into full swing and the opposition loses support from the ground.

He said this after being asked to comment on claims by former law minister Zaid Ibrahim that there was a lobby for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president Muhyiddin Yassin to be named Pakatan Harapan's candidate for prime minister and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali as his deputy.

He was also responding to Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak who said Pakatan Harapan should unveil their shadow cabinet first before being ambitious about forming a government.

Describing the shadow cabinet as the opposition's "Achilles' heel", Rafizi said no matter who they unveil in their shadow cabinet, it will be turned into a racial issue by Umno.

For example, DAP's Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng are bound to be on the shadow cabinet, he said, as they want to have a more fair representation of the multi-racialism in Malaysia.

But, he said, Umno propaganda machine will likely start saying that their shadow cabinet is a DAP-led cabinet.

"Issues of who is the prime minister or the shadow cabinet is basically the very bullets we will give to BN to spin it around and to make it as racial as possible.

"What we need is for MPs to go down on the ground and do your work. Stop speculating about this and that," Rafizi said.

He stressed that the people on the ground care more about the rising cost of living than about candidates for the next prime minister.

"The people are extremely burdened with their daily lives.

"Their concerns are their salaries, they cannot pay bills, about (whether they can) buy schoolbags for their children.

"They feel like, 'I'm suffering here. BN is not helping us, and you guys are not helping me either because all you are concerned about is who is going to take which ministry'," Rafizi said.

He added that he has already voiced this opinion to his fellow opposition MPs.

The opposition has been inundated with questions on who they will put forth as their candidate for prime minister.

While Pakatan Harapan appeared to remain steadfast on Anwar Ibrahim as their candidate, other names such as Muhyiddin has also been mentioned.