‘ Back to square one’
> Tun M’s nomination for PM post regresses nation to dark days: BN leaders
PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders have been highly critical about the announcement by Pakatan Harapan that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad is their prime minister candidate and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be prime minister-inwaiting.
MCA Publicity spokesman and Religious Harmony Bureau chairman Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker said this shows that the nation has been taken for a ride by both Anwar and Mahathir.
“We are back to square one after 20 years. We have gone one full circle. Twenty years ago, Anwar insisted that Mahathir must go or the nation will go bankrupt or collapse.
“The rakyat believed him and a Reformasi movement was formed, leading to a series of street protests that put the country in a limbo.”
Ti said when Pakatan Harapan is not serious about the change they have been promoting and promising the people.
MIC leader S. Vell Paari said under Mahathir’s 22-year tenure, Malaysians had seen a period of “democrazy”, as opposed to democracy.
“During his time, it was not that we enjoyed democracy but most Malaysians suffered from democrazy policies where we were led by a dictator who did whatever he wanted without thinking about the well-being of the rakyat.
“For the Opposition to nominate Mahathir as their prime minister candidate is clearly pushing Malaysia back to the dark days of a democrazy dictator who had destroyed our democracy, judiciary and our monarchy system,” said the MIC treasurer in a statement yesterday.
Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the choice of Mahathir as prime minister by the opposition pact will only trigger political instability.
He said this was because of uncertainty in how long the the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chairman would hold the post as there have been talk that his appointment would only be temporary.
“There is an attempt by the Opposition to seek a royal pardon for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de-facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, (for him) to take over as prime minister,” he said after launching the BN election machinery for the Jelebu parliamentary constituency on Sunday.
Khairy said today, they may be friends because they have a common enemy … but the 1998 unrest cannot simply be forgotten.
Meanwhile, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said Mahathir has hijacked the Opposition.
He said Mahathir, who has been in and out of Umno several times, had hijacked the struggle of the opposition pact, especially PKR, which was formed to fight for Anwar under Mahathir’s premiership.