Mahathir pleads for an Amanah victory

Ex-premier woos Kuala Kangsar voters with another public appeal to kick out Najib.

KUALA KANGSAR: After spending the whole day campaigning in Sungai Besar, Selangor yesterday, the 90-year-old former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad hit the roads of Kuala Kangsar today, appealing again for a victory for the Amanah candidate.

At a forum on 1MDB and Najib Razak’s Donation, organised by the opposition Pakatan Harapan alliance, Dr Mahathir urged voters to back Dr Ahmad Termizi Ramli of Amanah.

“I appeal to all of you to support Termizi. He comes from a prominent family, and is a wise man. He is a matured and capable leader. (Though) he has a bit of white hair, but not as young as me,” he said, drawing laughter from about 300 people present.

He reiterated his campaign purpose of driving Najib Razak out of office as Umno president and prime minister.

“Give (Termizi) the victory, so that we can prove that Najib is not needed by the people,” he added.

Termizi, 61, is a nuclear physics professor and a sixth generation descendant of Perak’s Maharaja Lela who launched a rebellion against the British Resident JWW Birch in the 19th century.

Dr Mahathir also spoke to reporters about his meeting with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang,

Mahathir said he had met Hadi to explain about Najib’s weaknesses which, he claimed, Hadi had also acknowledged.

“I explained to him about Najib’s doings in detail, about Najib and foreign powers, 1MDB and the money. All this is a waste of public funds. He said there is truth in it,” Dr Mahathir said.

However, now that PAS was on its own, after the breakup of Pakatan Rakyat, the previous opposition alliance, Hadi had come to favour Najib and the PAS’ struggle had become one to defend Najib, Dr Mahathir said.

He had earlier said that it would be impossible for PAS to defeat BN on its own, and the party’s latest strategy was to befriend Najib.

Dr Mahathir’s decision to openly campaign against Barisan Nasional in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar was criticised by Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein yesterday. Hishammuddin said he did not understand why the former premier could make such a decision as he had been among the most respected leaders in BN.

Dr Mahathir was prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and headed Umno and the Barisan Nasional during that time.