SERI SETIA POLLS | PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim revealed that he was previously offered the post of president of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) but turned it down.

“These days what is my position? I don’t want any position. I met with (prime minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad and I told him I do not want anything.

“Recently, someone suggested I become the IIUM president but I said I didn’t want to be.

“Now what I want to do is support (the government), I want the Pakatan Harapan government under Mahathir to be strong,” he said in a ceramah in Ara Damansara tonight.

He was stumping for the Harapan-PKR candidate for the Seri Setia by-election, Halimey Abu Bakar.

Met afterwards, Anwar clarified that it was offered to head IIUM a while ago.

“It was to be the new president, but it was a while ago,” he said before he was driven off in his vehicle.

He declined to comment on current Education Minister Maszlee Malik's recent appointment to lead IIUM.

Conflict of interest

Anwar had been IIUM president when he was education minister in the 1990s.

Maszlee had come under fire from both the opposition and from within Harapan for accepting his appointment as IIUM president.

Kampung Tunku assemblyperson Lim Yi Wei had urged Maszlee to quit as it was a “conflict of interest” and a violation of Harapan GE14 manifesto which promised autonomy for public varsities.

Today, Mahathir came out in defence of Maszlee, saying the cabinet would keep him in check.