TTF: It’s as simple as A, B and C.
For Anwar to be granted a Royal pardon, his case must first be brought to the Pardons Board of the Federal Territories. Now, should Mahathir become the next Prime Minister of Malaysia, it is he who will advise the King who gets to be the next Attorney-General of Malaysia, assuming, of course, he wants Apandi Ali removed.
But it is highly unlikely that Mahathir will remove Apandi, as the latter is already his mole in UMNO. Under the circumstances, Apandi will sit on the Pardons Board of the Federal Territories along with the Federal Territories Minister (which, of course, will be Mahathir’s man) and three other members appointed by the King on Mahathir’s advice.
Yes, it will be more a Mahathir’s Board than it will be a Pardons Board.
When you take that into account and the fact that the board is constitutionally obligated to consider the written opinion of the Attorney General, it is highly unlikely that the decision will be against Mahathir’s favour. And, as Puad correctly put it (see news item below), Mahathir will make damned sure Anwar remains in jail by hook or by crook.
KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will ensure that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will not get a pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong so that he can stay on as prime minister, should Pakatan Harapan win the 14th general election (GE14).
Umno supreme council member Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said today it was his opinion that Dr Mahathir, who is Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) chairman, would advise the King that the PKR de facto leader cannot be pardoned as sodomy was a serious crime.
“Dr Mahathir will ensure that more than half of the members of parliament would support him in staying on as prime minister if there is any motion for a vote of no confidence against him in Parliament. He can also abuse the National Security Council Act 2016 to declare an emergency if he feels that his position is threatened.
“Dr Mahathir has experience in such matters. He had abused the Internal Security Act during Op Lalang in 1987 when (he felt) his position was being threatened,” he said in a statement.
On Sunday, the Pakatan Harapan convention had announced that Dr Mahathir was the opposition pact’s choice for prime minister should it triumph in GE14, with PKR president and Anwar’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan ismail as deputy prime minister.
Puad said Dr Mahathir, who is 93, had been a dictator for 22 years and was now being “recycled” as prime minister by his worst enemies.
He said, once it was ensured that Anwar would remain in prison, Dr Mahathir would find a way to have his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz, become the next prime minister as he does not intend to lead the nation until he is aged 100.
“This means, by Dr Mahathir’s thinking, he would step down as prime minister only after Mukhriz becomes his deputy, within seven years from today.”
Puad claimed that, when the opposition pact met to decide who would be its candidate for prime minister on Sunday, there was some “tension” between Dr Wan Azizah and Dr Mahathir.
“At first, Dr Wan Azizah was insistent that Anwar should be named as the candidate for prime minister. In the end, however, she admistted defeat and agreed to name Dr Mahathir, with Anwar as the eighth prime minister of Malaysia, whilst waiting for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to pardon her husband,” he said.
Source: NST Online