Dr M gatecrashes ‘ too old to be PM’ forum

KUALA LUMPUR: Sick of people sniping about his advancing years, 92-year-old former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad gatecrashed a forum discussing whether he was too old to return as prime minister.

“I am here guys. Say it to my face,” tweeted a defiant Mahathir, who is seeking the top job again as the opposition’s candidate in looming polls, with a picture of himself at the discussion late Thursday.

Mahathir, who was premier for 22 years, has returned to frontline politics after a 15-year break.

But his old age has raised questions about his ability to rule if the opposition succeeds in toppling the long-ruling coalition.

In the unlikely event Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is unseated, Dr Mahathir would become the world’s oldest prime minister.

At Thursday’s forum, a threeman panel was talking about Dr Mahathir when the man himself walked in midway, causing the speakers to fall silent and many in the hall to rise to their feet.

The panel — which consisted of a political pundit, psychology expert and fitness coach — stopped their discussions and opened the floor for Dr Mahathir to speak.

“There are two types of age. One in terms of years and another in terms of the body. The age of the body does not necessarily equate to the age in years,” he told the forum in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur.

“As far as health is concerned, I’m not senile yet.” — Bernama