It looks like former premier Mahathir Mohamad is all out to hog
the media limelight. A slew of controversial comments from the
87-year-old with distinctly racist and discriminatory overtones have
already annoyed many in the country including members of the political
Opposition.
One of these was Mahathir's call to Prime Minister Najib Razak to no longer be soft towards the Pakatan Rakyat coalition led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, as they continued "to insult the nation’s democratic system... we need to be a bit tough, and not give them face”.
"The time has come for the Prime Ministe to be tough and to stop 'giving face' to racists like Mahathir and Utusan Malaysia who have
been seeking to destroy the message of peace and moderation with their
ceaseless and reckless racist lies and falsehoods," retorted DAP
adviser Lim Kit Siang.Being 'Mr Big Mouth'? Even the Internet is not spared!
But far from being cowed, Mahathir appears to be enjoying himself. A day ago, he urged for the top 2 posts in Umo not to be contested as Malaysians were "not that clear on democracy and, if they lose, members will form another party which will lead to more cracks in Umno. That is why I am against the contest for the top posts. During my time, I won with only a few votes, but those who lost took the case to court and then formed their own party."
It was an obvious swipe at Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who had challenged him for the Umno presidency in the 1980s but lost after a controversial vote count that till today many Umno members say was manipulated by those close to Mahathir to ensure that he won.
Today, Mahathir was at it again. Firstly he admitted he might have made a mistake in giving guarantees for internet freedom, which has been blamed for empowering and enabling the Pakatan Rakyat to win more seats in the recent 13th general election.
"When I headed the MSC, I was asked by an American woman whether we would block the internet. I told her no, we will be very free... but now I will think twice about it," Dr Mahathir said at the closing of the CEO Forum 2013 at the Berjaya Times Square.
'Twisted' viewpoints
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