Calls for former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad to return to power should the opposition win the next general election has baffled Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan. 

"It's as though there is no one else in the opposition that can become PM. That is what's troubling us Malaysians. 

"(DAP's) Tony Pua, my favourite (PKR MP) Rafizi Ramli can be PM. Why choose someone (Mahathir) who is so controversial?" Abdul Rahman said at a press conference in Cyberjaya today. 

He was responding to a shadow cabinet proposal by DAP man Zaid Ibrahim, who pushed for Mahathir to be prime minister again. 

Rahman described Zaid's insistence on Mahathir to become premier as "desperate".

He also mocked another proposal by Zaid to make Amanah president Mohamad Sabu the defence minister.

"God helps us all," Rahman said in jest.

Besides Mahathir and Mohamad, Zaid had also proposed for DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang to be education minister, PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali as finance minister, and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) president Muhyiddin Yassin to lead an oil and energy ministry to oversee Petronas.