Dr M to head to Tanjung Piai to clear confusion among electorate

PUTRAJAYA: Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be in Tanjung Piai tomorrow to campaign for the ruling coalition’s by-election candidate.

Dr Mahathir said he hoped his presence in Tanjung Piai would clear any confusion among the electorate who he claimed still believed he was Umno president.

“Many voters (in Tanjung Piai) who support Barisan Nasional have now thrown their support behind PH.

“(However), many members of the electorate there still think I am Umno president, although I am in PH. I am PH chairman, and as chairman, I am prime minister.

“Since I am going to Tanjung Piai tomorrow, I hope they will realise I am no longer Umno president,” said Dr Mahathir, who is Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chairman.

He was speaking after chairing the Bersatu Supreme Council meeting here yesterday.

He said Bersatu had more than 500,000 card-carrying members and many more who had yet to get membership cards.

He said Sabah had the highest number of new members, but did not disclose the number.

Asked to comment on former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s court case in which he claimed he was shocked when the court ruled for him to enter his defence on all seven charges of abusing SRC International Sdn Bhd funds, Dr Mahathir said: “He was shocked? I am shocked that he was shocked.”

He said Najib had a good hearing and was even allowed bail, which gave him a chance to campaign in Tanjung Piai.

On a separate matter, Dr Mahathir said he had no issue with Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu’s remarks in a viral video claiming he was fighting a “lone battle” against DAP on several matters in the state.

He said the video showed that Faizal was facing an aggressive crowd of fishermen who had assumed DAP was controlling PH.

“He was telling them that despite being alone and DAP having the most number (of seats in the Perak state assembly), he is still in power (as menteri besar).”

On calls by PKR and DAP urging Faizal to apologise, he said: “There is nothing to it. If they want to fight, I can give them gloves.”

Asked about a Reuters report saying the United States Federal Aviation Administration had downgraded Malaysia’s air safety rating, restricting the country’s airlines from adding flights to the US, he said the government would take measures to address the issue if there was anything wrong with Malaysia’s civil aviation authority.