He said the country had many talented politicians whose emergence would signal change in Malaysia’s politics.
“Mahathir is a great man, but he is 93 years old. I think he will serve as long as his health permits. Anwar needs to become prime minister, otherwise we will never hear the end of it, and we will not be able to move on.
“I think Anwar will become the next prime minister, but I think we need to focus on Malaysia post-Mahathir and post-Anwar,” he said at a forum featuring him and economist KS Jomo organised by the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia here last night.
Once Anwar becomes prime minister, he said, the generational shift would be more evident.
The Rembau MP also urged Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional to set aside petty politics for the next four years and work together to implement institutional reforms in the country.
He reiterated that he would not quit Umno, adding that he plans to contest the president’s post again in 2021 if the party is still around at that point.
Based on the popular vote in the last presidential election in June, he added, the majority of Umno members were in favour of reforms.
Jomo meanwhile said there was a need for the government to address the country’s “decedent” political financing system, adding that this should be a priority.
“It’s important to recognise that we have a system of political financing which is so abused that we cannot get ourselves out of this unless we develop a legitimate, accountable and transparent political financing system,” said Jomo, who is a member of the Council of the Eminent Persons.