Dr Mahathir's appointment just a drama - Shahrizat

Wanita UMNO chief Tan Sri Shahrizat Abd Jalil on Friday described the appointment of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the chairman of Pakatan Harapan as a 'drama' staged by the opposition party.

She said the appointment of the former Prime Minister and UMNO president, as well as other Malay leaders, was actually aimed at obscuring the Malay voters' eyes from seeing the truth.

"If we look at it carefully, the real de facto leader for Pakatan Harapan is Lim Kit Siang (DAP).

"He is there, hiding at the back, because he knew they are desperate for Malay votes, so he selected the 'puppets' to give them the impression that there are Malay leaders in the opposition pact.

"The truth is DAP will be the one who is calling the shots, so Malaysians must be cautious. If they choose the opposition, it means that they choose DAP to lead the country," she told reporters after officiating the Gelang Patah Wanita UMNO delegates conference here Friday.

On Wanita UMNO's aspiration to see an increase in the number of women candidates in Johor state in the upcoming 14th general election, Shahrizat said the state UMNO liaison committee had been made aware of the aspiration and had promised to give it due consideration.

In the last general election, there were four parliamentary seats and five state seats won by Wanita UMNO candidates in Johor.

- BERNAMA