DAP's Lim Guan Eng said it was unfair if both the president and chairman positions in the federal Opposition coalition were held by PPBM, as it only just recently joined Pakatan Harapan. — Picture by K.E.Ooi

PETALING JAYA, June 14 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) leaders cannot monopolise the top leadership in Pakatan Harapan, a senior DAP leader said today.

The party’s secretary general Lim Guan Eng said it was unfair if both the president and chairman positions in the federal Opposition coalition were held by PPBM, as it only just recently joined Pakatan Harapan.

“I would not agree that both chairman and president are Bersatu leaders; there should be other Pakatan leaders.

“There should be consultation with other parties. I will not agree to both positions being Bersatu leaders,” Lim said in a press conference today.

Last week, Malay Mail Online reported that PPBM, a Bumiputera-centric party which is less than a year old, was pushing for its chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to be the chairman and president of Pakatan Harapan.

Lim, however, said today that Dr Mahathir should be given prominence if the Opposition coalition is formalised based on his previous experience as prime minister.

But, the Penang chief minister stressed that the DAP and other Pakatan parties still backed currently incarcerated Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the choice of prime minister for the coalition instead of a PPBM candidate.

“We are still supportive that Anwar is PM designate. He is still relevant. We still endorse him as PM candidate,” he said.

PPBM’s proposal had also included making PKR de facto leader Anwar as Pakatan Harapan adviser, Anwar’s wife and PKR president, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as deputy chair, PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali as Pakatan Harapan’s deputy president, and Lim and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) president Mohamad Sabu as the coalition’s vice presidents.