Haniff Khatri Abdulla, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's former legal counsel, has taken a swipe at parties who continue to cast doubts over the PM's promise to hand over power to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

Haniff, in a statement today, singled out Anwar's former political secretary, Ezam Mohd Nor, who had in a recent ceramah reportedly urged Mahathir to "stop playing with power" and commit to a handover date.

Rather than pressure Mahathir to set a transition date, Haniff said Anwar's supporters should ensure he could convince the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah,  - just like what was done by Mahathir after Harapan's GE14 victory - that he has the support of the majority of lawmakers in the Dewan Rakyat as a prime minister candidate.

He noted that the process not only involves securing the number of seats in parliament but also gauging of support for Anwar within the ruling coalition itself.

"I strongly suggest that any parties who continue to harp on Mahathir to expedite the handover process to PM-8, they must put in all efforts to ensure that Anwar, who is said to be the PM candidate, could convince the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong that he commanded majority support," said Haniff.

Speaking at a gathering held by the pro-Anwar group Otai Reformis last night, Ezam urged Mahathir to put the nation’s interest first, adding that investors were also looking for a clear roadmap on the transfer of power.

Haniff further pointed out that the level of support in Dewan Rakyat must be gauged only after a handover date has been set.

"Not (the level of support) on Jan 6, 2018, when Pakatan Harapan made the agreement (on the transition of power) more than two years ago," he said, citing provisions under Article 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution.

Haniff argued that the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong must be personally convinced that a member of parliament has commanded majority support from the Dewan Rakyat to be appointed as prime minister.

Therefore, he said any agreements made on the candidate for prime minister would be non-binding until and unless the person could convince the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong as required under the Federal Constitution.

Mahathir in an interview with online portal The Malaya Post on Saturday reiterated that he would keep his promise to eventually hand over the premiership to Anwar but added that the ultimate decider would still be the Dewan Rakyat.

The Harapan chairperson added that even if a candidate came from a party that enjoyed a majority but the candidate personally cannot command majority support, then the candidate won't be able to become prime minister.