Alluding to the failure of Pakatan Harapan (PH) to do this, he blamed then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for not holding proper consultation before making these appointments.
“The key appointments were made by Mahathir at a time when I was still in prison,” he said during a forum organised by the National Council of Professors today.
In this context, the Port Dickson MP said it was important to convince the Malay majority that they will not be abandoned.
“This means, hopefully, after we (PH) assume power, we can rediscuss and create a situation where their interests are taken care of, bringing confidence to all people in the country.
“And also the non-Malays. This is not a zero-sum game where we help the Malays but sideline the Chinese, or we help the Chinese but let the Malays be poor … there must be a fairer and equal approach.”
He was responding to a question from the moderator if he planned to address the concerns of the Malays after many DAP leaders were appointed to key positions in Mahathir’s administration.
He said as far as his experience with DAP was concerned, it was different from what the Malays perceived it to be, adding that the party was always ready to negotiate and face the reality of a situation.
On PH’s failure to implement institutional reforms, as pledged in its manifesto, Anwar said Mahathir could not fully appreciate the need to revamp the institutions as he was the one who had damaged them in the first place.
“Among them is the freedom of the judiciary and media. He gave back some freedom but damaged it first,” he said.
“However, the blame is not solely on Mahathir alone although he was the one who steered the ship. Clearly, he is responsible in many ways for how things are now.
“But it also boils down to the people who betrayed his trust. We should not forget that,” he said.
To another question, Anwar rejected the view that his plan to accept party-hoppers is akin to forming a back-door government.
He said this did not arise as he was merely trying to regain the mandate the people had given to PH in the last general election.
“And what was the election pledge? It was for Mahathir to be PM temporarily and Anwar to come in later. So here, it is a case of getting back the mandate.”