Amanah, DAP: Shafie's nomination as PM candidate requires joint decision by Harapan

• UPDATED 10.50PM | Added DAP’s remarks on Shafie’s candidacy.

Amanah and DAP have concluded that the proposal to make Warisan president Shafie Apdal the prime ministerial candidate for Pakatan Harapan and its allies should be jointly decided at the coalition level.  

After a party meeting this evening, Amanah communications director Khalid Abdul Samad (above) said it recognised that the proposal is to assist in efforts to muster sufficient support from MPs for Harapan to regain the federal government.

"After considering the views of all members in the meeting, the Amanah central committee is of the opinion this issue should be jointly decided at the Harapan presidential council to ensure consensus and solidarity.

"The meeting stressed that the issue of restoring the government is a priority.

"The Amanah committee agreed that discussions on the prime ministerial candidate nomination be referred to the Harapan presidential council in the near future for a joint decision," he said in a statement.

Khalid did not reveal Amanah's own position.

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng (above) said his party’s central executive committee has also unanimously decided that Shafie’s candidacy should be jointly decided at a Harapan presidential council meeting.

This followed the party’s CEC meeting tonight, which said the council should hold the meeting as soon as possible ahead of the July 13 parliamentary sitting.

“The CEC emphasised its stand that Harapan’s position needs to be strengthened, and at the same time, Harapan needs to work with all parties who are committed in opposing Perikatan Nasional.

“The CEC is aware that the proposed candidacy is historic because it is a leader from East Malaysia that is being considered for the first time,” Lim said in a statement.

On June 27, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad revealed he had met with Amanah, DAP and Warisan leaders on June 25 in an informal meeting.

During the meeting, a proposal was made to nominate Shafie (below) as the prime ministerial candidate while PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and disputed Bersatu deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir will be deputy prime ministers.

Meanwhile, Mahathir will drop out of the race to become the prime ministerial candidate.

This was a break in an impasse between Mahathir and Anwar over who should become prime minister if Harapan regains power.

PKR was absent at the informal meeting. 

Mahathir said the leaders there unanimously agreed to the proposal.

However, DAP and Amanah had said they still need to discuss the matter internally and bring it to the Harapan presidential council.

Mahathir's Harapan government, which came into power in the 2018 general election, collapsed in late February after Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin pulled his party out of the coalition.

Muhyiddin was sworn in as the new prime minister on March 1 after Mahathir refused to lead a new coalition the former put together comprising Bersatu, PKR defectors, BN, PAS, GPS, PBS and STAR.

Mahathir had been planning a counter-coup against Muhyiddin, who has a three-seat majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Apart from trying to break the impasse, the proposal to make Shafie the prime ministerial candidate also appears to be an attempt to attract support from the East Malaysia bloc, which is instrumental to forming a majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

PKR had been opposed to Mahathir's third bid as premier and wants Anwar instead.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said his party is ready to revisit the issue of Harapan's prime ministerial candidate in light of the new proposal.

However, he also advised caution against efforts to split the coalition.

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