Insisting that PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim is still Pakatan Harapan’s candidate for prime minister, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) deputy president Salahuddin Ayub however said that a temporary leader must be appointed.

“To free Anwar, we must be in Putrajaya. Don’t dream that (prime minister’s wife) Rosmah (Mansor) will release Anwar.

“Those who will release him are the rakyat,” said Salahuddin in his speech at the inaugural Pakatan Harapan Convention in Shah Alam today.

But before Anwar is released, he added, a temporary prime minister must be appointed.

To loud shouts of "agree!", Salahuddin said the candidate, be it young or old, may be in the hall today.

“Why don’t we have a referendum to determine this.

“We have stated that our prime minister is Anwar but before that, who should be the temporary leader?

“This convention can decide in whatever way possible,” he said.

Harapan has always stressed that Anwar is the coalition’s candidate for prime minister.

The former deputy prime minister is however serving a five-year jail sentence for sodomising his former aide.

Meanwhile, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar in her speech said they welcomed anyone who wanted to join Pakatan Harapan.

“But the condition is - if you break the commitment towards reform, you are out,” she stressed, without mentioning names.

It seemed to be a veiled reference to PAS which was largely seen to be responsible for the disintegration of the former Pakatan Rakyat when they broke ranks.

The Lembah Pantai MP, meanwhile, pointed out how her father has even shook hands with his former nemesis (Dr Mahathir Mohamad).

“If you can see the unification of these two souls, you have no reason not to do your part to improve this country.

Urging everyone to join the Bersih rally on Nov 19, Nurul Izzah said there would not be such an instance where they would see Mahathir in the front line together with Bersih leaders.

“If that’s not enough not to raise our spirits [...] we can’t say that we love Malaysia,” she added.

Mahathir and Anwar may have been sworn enemies after the latter was jailed in 1998, but things have taken a 180 degree turn after Mahathir starting showing his disdain towards Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Having left Umno earlier this year, Mahathir is currently the pro-tem chairperson for fledgling party Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, a party consisting of mostly former Umno members.