Dr M’s words of warning

PEARLS OF WISDOM: Dr Mahathir and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali at the Mardi Complex — Pic: SHAHIR OMAR

SERDANG: In a style quintessentially his own, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad took to the stage yesterday to offer advice and fire salvos to his former Cabinet colleagues as well as the voters who put him in power for 22 years.

The country’s fourth prime minister first offered words of caution to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, saying Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was getting help from Israel and the US in his efforts to topple Najib.

“Najib is a candidate for regime change and he has to be careful with Anwar and those who are helping him,” Dr Mahathir said this after delivering a speech as the Perdana University chancellor at the Mardi Complex here.

“I am not advising Najib but warning him. Anwar and Israel, who is backed by the US, are good friends.

“The Israelis are supporting Anwar by releasing statements on business links established between the two countries even though we do not have any diplomatic ties with them.

“They are trying to stop attacks against Anwar by exposing alleged commercial links between Malaysia and Israel.”

Dr Mahathir said claims by the Israelis showed Anwar, who was the deputy prime minister under his leadership, could not be trusted.

“They (Anwar and the Israelis) have always been close since many years ago. Anwar is someone you cannot trust. He changes his tune when he wants to. When he is with the Chinese community, he becomes a Chinese and when he is with the Malays, he transforms himself into an ulamak (religious man),” he said.

As for Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Dr Mahathir had this to say to the women, family and community development minister:

“She should not love her post too much as she would have to leave the party one day.”

“She must realise what problems she caused the party. One day, we all have to step down. I cannot tell her to resign but she has to think for herself and about what is best for Umno.

“It is up to her to make the decision. That’s why after being in Umno for so long, I decided to leave as the people were getting bored with me.”

Shahrizat, who is also Wanita Umno chief, is facing pressure to step down following a scandal involving her family over the RM250 million in soft loans to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp).

Asked to comment on former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chairman Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli’s out-of-court settlement with Pengurusan Danaharta Bhd (Danaharta), Dr Mahathir was confident there was no cover-up.