Defiant Mahathir to continue push to oust Najib

KUALA LUMPUR — Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad, who is being investigated for criticising the country’s Prime Minister Najib Razak and the administration, said he would not give up his efforts to remove the latter.

The 90-year-old, who was Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister after governing the country for 22 years, said he believed in doing what was worthwhile.

“I always believe that when you fail, you get up and try again and again. It is whether what we have been doing is worthwhile or not,” he said yesterday.

Dr Mahathir said the problem was still Mr Najib’s administration. “I still emphasise the need for Najib to step down. Everything goes back to him,” he said.

Dr Mahathir has been critical of Mr Najib and the latter’s administration, which has been tarnished by financial scandals, namely the debt-ridden state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the US$681 million (S$954 million) donation deposited into Mr Najib’s personal accounts, a slow economy and a weakening ringgit.

The feud between Malaysia’s past and current leaders has gripped the country for almost a year, with Dr Mahathir repeatedly calling on Mr Najib to step down.

The Malaysian police are currently investigating Dr Mahathir for criminal defamation over a blog post in which he criticised Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali for not bringing corruption charges against Mr Najib. Mr Apandi closed investigations into Mr Najib earlier this month after concluding the money was gifted by a member of the Saudi royal family, and most of it had been returned.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir asked if the administration was part of a democracy when people who criticised it landed in trouble.

“The existing law is not being implemented properly. New laws are then formulated for another purpose and people get arrested and tried,” he said. “I know that during my time we had the ISA (Internal Security Act), but I did not use it to harass people who criticised me. Only when they did something to the country.

“If you criticise the government now, you are going to be detained, questioned and put on trial. If you can’t criticise, then where is the democracy?

“The law is applied differently depending on who you are. So, somebody has to say something. I have to say it because I want the country to have a good reputation. People ask me what has happened to your country? It’s shameful. All because of one man’s leadership.” THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER