Dr M to speak at DAP's 1MDB events at twin polls

The last time Dr Mahathir Mohamad hit the campaign trail was during the 2013 general election, where he, among others, went to Gelang Patah in Johor to urge voters to place DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang’s political career six feet under.

Much has changed since then.

Now, the former premier is set to make his first appearance in the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections at DAP-organised events over the weekend.

Mahathir is slated to deliver the keynote address at a special colloquium on 1MDB and the multi-billion ringgit deposits in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's bank accounts.

Announcing this, DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua said the two-day event is titled: "Special Colloquium: 1MDB & Najib's Donation: The Straw that Breaks the Camel's Back?"

"In conjunction with the twin by-elections in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar, DAP is organising a special two-day colloquium to discuss the impact and implications of the RM55 billion 1MDB and Najib’s mysterious US$1 billion ‘donation’ scandals.

"Mahathir has kindly agreed to deliver the keynote opening address of the colloquium in both Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar,” he added in a media statement.

Lim would be closing both sessions.

Mahathir had said he is prepared to speak during the by-elections on the Citizens' Declaration platform if any party was willing to organise such an event.

To date, he has yet to make an appearance.

Pua said the event would be held at Dewan Restoran Hao Xiang Chi in Sungai Besar and Dewan Restoran Chun Ji in Kuala Kangsar concurrently beginning at 9.30am until 2pm on June 11 and 12.

He said the events would discuss whether the scandals were merely a storm in the teacup as claimed by Najib's supporters or would ultimately be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

"The by-elections in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar will also measure the people's endorsement of Najib's involvement in the 1MDB’s global financial scandal which has already brought down a 143-year-old Swiss BSI Bank," he said.

He said the speakers for Sungai Besar include Cynthia Gabriel, Abdul Aziz Bari, Dzulkefly Ahmad, P Gunasegaram, Zaid Ibrahim, Clare Rewcastle Brown (via skype) and Pua himself while the panellists in Kuala Kangsar include Ambiga Sreenevasan, Husam Musa, A Kadir Jasin, Maria Chin Abdullah, Nga Kor Ming and Khalid Samad.

The event would be conducted in both Malay and English.

Najib has denied abusing public funds for personal gain, and blamed such allegations on Mahathir and those in cahoots with the former premier to engineer his downfall.