Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad delivers his speech at Shangri-La Singapore November 13, 2018. — Picture courtesy of the Information Department of Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 – Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said he is open to the possibility of a Cabinet reshuffle following the conclusion of the PKR party elections but he wants to work with those he is comfortable with.

He told the Singapore daily The Straits Times in an interview that he has the final say when it comes to Cabinet appointments but will consider making changes if PKR submits new candidates which he approves of.

“They (PKR) can submit names, they can argue their case. I have my own views also. And the principle is that this Cabinet is chaired by me as the Prime Minister and I need to have people who I am comfortable with. So whether I accept nominations from them or not, is really up to me,” he reportedly said.

Newly-elected Port Dickson MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has won the PKR presidency unopposed but the race for the party’s deputy president’s post has been rife with problems and issues including physical confrontations and suspicions of malware compromising the e-voting system.

Datuk Seri Azmin Ali is fighting to retain the deputy president’s post against challenger, Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and although the PKR central election committee has said the polls result so far is not final, Azmin’s supporters have claimed victory.

Besides the PKR polls, there has also been speculations of a Cabinet reshuffle due to public criticism of many first time federal ministers.

The Straits Times had also quoted an unnamed official saying that Dr Mahathir has been unhappy with the Cabinet’s performance for a while.