Dr M will not resign as Pakatan chairman
PUTRAJAYA: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday said he would not resign from his position as Pakatan Harapan chairman, even if he is implicated in the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s (RCI) probe into the 1990s foreign exchange (forex) scandal.
“No, I will not accept that (to resign if implicated).
“It has nothing to do with my political (work),” he told reporters outside the Palace of Justice.
Dr Mahathir made an appearance at the RCI’s third hearing yesterday after being absent from the last two proceedings.
He arrived at 9.04am, accompanied by his aides.
Asked on when he will be summoned to testify, Dr Mahathir said he was not aware when he will be called up.
“We have asked for a watching brief and to be called to give whatever we know about this case and I must admit, I know quite a lot.
“Maybe this is of the interest of the commission... to know what I know.
“So far, I don’t have any statements to make, except that I’m curious to know what’s happening and whether the name ‘Royal’ given to the commission is in fact reflected in the proceedings,” he added.
The RCI was set up following a cabinet meeting soon after the New Straits Times published an interview with former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) assistant governor Datuk Abdul Murad Khalid, where he claimed that the central bank had suffered forex losses of US$10 billion in the early 1990s.
It was also reported at that time, which was during Dr Mahathir’s premiership, BNM had ventured into speculative currency trading and forex trading with large sums of money, alarming other banking institutions worldwide.
When asked about rumours that he was unwell, Dr Mahathir described the claim as “wishful thinking” by certain quarters.
“I’m okay. Do I look like as if I just recovered from a serious illness?
“A lot of people are wishful like that... they wish I was dead because I’m a nuisance and a danger to the whole nation,” he added.