Langkawi MP ready to take on ex-PM

GEORGE TOWN: The incumbent for the Langkawi parliament seat has high regard for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad but it will not deter him from taking on the 92-year-old if the Pakatan Harapan chairman contests there.

Datuk Nawawi Ahmad ( pix), who is Keretapi Tanah Melayu board chairman, yesterday said Langkawi residents respect Mahathir because he had the vision to drive the development of the island resort.

Mahathir should be congratulated for developing Langkawi, but he did it in his former capacity as the prime minister, said Nawawi, who is Langkawi Umno division head. According to the incumbent, there are many ways of expressing gratitude to Mahathir and it is not necessary to give him the votes.

“We may hold a feast to honour his deeds but we may not necessarily have to vote for him,” he added.

Although Barisan Nasional has yet to confirm that Nawawi would defend his seat, his majority win of some 11,000 votes in the 2013 elections is impressive enough to make him the likely candidate.

“All prime ministers must develop the entire country. Of course Langkawi was the exception but it was done purely because of its potential in tourism,” Nawawi said.

Previous prime ministers were also accredited with development, but Mahathir’s legacy is perhaps long lasting because he stayed in power for 22 years, he said.

Nawawi was commenting on speculations that Mahathir would contest the Langkawi parliamentary seat.