theSun | TUESDAY APRIL 7 2009
news without borders
No senior minister’s
post for me, says Dr M
by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
TAIPING: Former prime minis-
ter Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
will not accept any senior min-
ister’s post in Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s
administration.
During his visit to the Bukit
Gantang parliamentary con-
stituency yesterday, Mahathir,
84, said: “No, no position in the
cabinet, no position at all.”
He was responding to a ques-
tion on whether he is willing to
accept a senior minister’s post,
similar to the one in Singapore,
if offered one by Najib.
However, he said, he is will-
ing to be the “unofficial adviser”
to the government.
“Unofficially is okay because
I am a retired person and I
think I should remain retired
and just give them the results of
my experience in running the
government,” he told a press
conference after having lunch
with civil servants here.
On comments by the Opposi-
tion that Najib’s administration
is similar to “Mahathirism”, he
said: “They (the Opposition)
must have nothing to talk about
any more. What’s wrong with
‘Mahathirism’? The country was
developed in 20 years because
of ‘Mahathirism’.
“What have they (the Op-
position) done? They did not do
anything.”
On Najib as the prime min-
ister, Mahathir said: “Umno
is now ready to
listen to the peo-
ple. Najib has also
said so and he has
acted by releasing
the (13) ISA de-
tainees, lifting the
ban on Harakah
and meeting the
people in the past
few days.
“I hope we can
see a clean gov-
ernment that can
be trusted by the
people. The person-
alities of the cabinet
ministers must also
be clean.”
Asked for his com-
ment on MCA’s call
for a second deputy
prime minister’s post,
Mahathir said it is bet-
Show people’s power, PR leaders tell voters
by Humayun Kabir
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
TAIPING: A victory in the Bukit
Gantang parliamentary by-election
for PAS is a victory for people’s
power in Perak and democracy in
the country.
This was the sentiment expressed
by Pakatan Rakyat leaders at a DAP
ceramah attended by some 6,000
supporters here on Sunday night.
PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim said the change of
prime minister would be nothing
new “if a few ISA detainees are re-
ter to let Najib decide.
On the BN’s takeover of the
Perak government, he said it has
become a fact and the people
have accepted the government
“unless the Opposition can
prove that it is legally wrong”.
Mahathir said the response
he received from the people in
the Bukit Gantang constituency
was very good although it was
just one occasion.
He believed BN will achieve
good results in the three by-
elections. “It would not be as
bad as last time (the March 2008
general election),” he said.
“I hope all the Bukit Gantang
voters will come back to vote.
Those who had left Umno when
I chose to leave the party should
also come back (to the party)
now.”
At a function organised by
the Ministry of Arts, Culture and
Heritage, Mahathir told a crowd
of 2,000 he hoped the people can
remember history, “that it was
through the cooperation of all
the races in the past 50 years
that Malaysia has become the
most developed country among
the developing countries”.
He said Malaysia has three
major races that practise dif-
ferent religions and languages
and still the people can live in
peace.
On the nickname of “kuda
tua” (old horse) given to him
by the Opposition, Mahthir said
although he is old he is “much
better than someone
leased and more are arrested later”.
He also asked what was wrong for
Pakatan Rakyat mentri besar Datuk
Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin,
who is contesting in the Bukit Gan-
tang by-election, to give state land to
poor Malays, Chinese and Indians,
who are the citizens of the country,
when land could be given to others
elsewhere.
Anwar called for the birth of “a
spirit of a new Malaysian society,
where all the races can discuss and
have a give-and-take attitude to solve
all problems”.
To achieve this, he said, the
(Unofficial adviser) is
okay because I am a
retired person and I think I
should remain retired and
just give them the results of
my experience in running
the government.”
who always speaks academi-
cally and twists the facts”.
He did not name anyone at
first but said later he had known
Opposition Leader Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim for a long time
and that he had “brought up the
person who wanted to topple
him so fast”.
“He came here not to explain
what he plans to do for the peo-
ple but only told the people how
evil I was,” he said.
Later, at a gathering of BN
supporters in Sungai Petani,
Mahathir said he rejoined
Umno on Saturday because he
was convinced the style of ad-
ministration in the BN govern-
ment would now change for the
better with Najib at the helm.
“I saw many people left
Umno when I left. I urge them
to return to Umno,” he said.
“When I saw that there was a
new approach in the new lead-
ership, it made me come back to
Umno and the BN.”
voters must return
Nizar with a bigger
majority to show the
power of the people.
Penang Chief Minister and DAP
secretary-general Lim Guan Eng a win by Pakatan Rakyat in the Bukit
said Nizar had safeguarded the in- Gantang by-election will give it the
terests of all the races when he was confidence to form the next federal
the mentri besar.
Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Seri tion.
Nik Abdul Aziz, who was present
despite not feeling well, said Najib’s Seri S. Samy Vellu for trying to take
“One Malaysia” policy is nothing the credit for the release of the two
new as PAS has been always prac- Hindraf leaders on Sunday.
tising such a policy and DAP has
also projected a “Malaysia for all reviewing the ISA, he must free all
briefs
Land ownership
issue resolved
SUNGAI PETANI: The land own-
ership issue involving 85 families
in Kampung Sungai Tukang is
considered closed after the sign-
ing of an agreement on the sale
of the land to the Kedah Regional
Development Authority (Keda) by
Koperasi Kebangsaan Permodalan
Tanah Berhad yesterday.
Keda chairman Datuk Seri
Mahdzir Khalid said the federal
government has channelled RM2
million to buy the land to resolve
the problem of the villagers, the
majority of whom live under the
poverty line and could not afford
to buy the land.
He said Keda would iron out the
details with the villagers.
Keda plans to turn the 2.4
ha into a traditional village for
the Indian community, complete
with houses, shops and a com-
munity hall, he told reporters after
the signing here. – Bernama
15 voters over 100
years old on list
SUNGAI PETANI: Bukit Selambau
has 15 voters over 100 years
old on the electoral roll and the
Mahathir Election Commission (EC) can-
is given not verify whether they are still
a rousing alive or not.
welcome EC deputy chairman Datuk
on arrival Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said
to attend although the 15 voters could
a function not be traced, it could not
organised by remove their names from the
the Ministry electoral roll until the National
of Arts, Registration Department (NRD)
Culture and confirmed their status.
Heritage at “This is among the problems
Padang Batu faced by EC when cleaning up
2½, Jalan the electoral roll as some family
Simpang in members did not report death
Taiping. cases to NRD,” he told a press
conference. – Bernama
PAS concern over
Malay vote
SUNGAI PETANI: PAS president
Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang
has expressed concern that the
Malays in the Bukit Selambau
state constituency may not vote
for S. Manikumar because the PKR
candidate is not a Muslim.
He said the Malays should sup-
port the PKR candidate and not
question the status of his religion
because the objective of the PAS-
DAP-PKR coalition is to retain the
Bukit Selambau seat.
“The voters, especially PAS
members, should exercise their
right to retain the Bukit Selambau
seat (for PKR),” Hadi said at a ce-
ramah in Taman Ria Jaya here on
RAJ KUMAR/THESUN
Sunday night.
He said PAS had forged a coali-
tion with non-Islamic parties such
as DAP and PKR because this was
not contrary to Islam. – Bernama
P.59 BUKIT GANTANG by-election
Malaysians” policy.
DAP chairman Karpal Singh said
government in the 13th general elec-
He criticised MIC president Datuk
Karpal said if Najib is sincere in
3
Independents share
stage
SUNGAI PETANI: Three of the 13
independent candidates in the
Bukit Selambau state by-election
conducted their campaign and
ceramah together on Sunday.
A. Jayagopal (who has the
umbrella for his symbol), Abdul
Rahim Abu (clock) and Radzi
Mat Lazim (chair) delivered their
message to the voters from the
same stage at a ceramah in
Sungai Lalang.
About 20 people attended
the talk where the candidates,
all former members of Parti
Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), hurled
criticism at PKR adviser and de
facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim.
They claimed that Anwar did
not listen to the views of the
grassroots and picked candi-
dates as he wished and that PKR
was no longer fighting for the
people’s cause. – Bernama
NGOs lodge reports
against DAP’s Nga
KUALA LUMPUR: Four non-gov-
ernmental organisations lodged
police reports yesterday against
Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming
for using Quranic verses when giv-
ing a ceramah during the by-elec-
tion campaign in Bukit Gantang on
Saturday.
The police reports were made
by the deputy president of the
Majlis Muafakat Ummah or Pewaris
(Muslim Community Consultative
Council), Rahimuddin Md Harun,
and a representative each from
the Muslim Consumers Associa-
tion Malaysia (PPIM), Ikatan Rakyat
Insan Malaysia (Irim) and Pertubu-
han Kebajikan Dakwah Islamiah
Malaysia (Pekida).
The reports were lodged
separately at the Sentul district
police headquarters at 3.30pm.
– Bernama
Five factors favour
BN: Muhyiddin
TAIPING: The BN is confident of a
good result in the three by-elec-
tions today, Umno deputy presi-
dent Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin,
who is also the director of the
BN machinery for the by-elec-
tions, said.
He based this confidence on
five factors:
» the elevation of Datuk Seri
Najib Abdul Razak as the new
prime minister,
» the re-entry of Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad into Umno and BN,
» the selection of the best BN
candidates as they truly under-
stood the people’s aspirations,
» the new confidence of the
people in the national leader-
ship after various problems and
issues had been successfully
explained and resolved, and
» the internal problems faced by
the opposition coalition because
of the differences of opinions
among their leaders. – Bernama
the ISA detainees.
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang urged
the voters to return Nizar as the
Bukit Gantang MP. He said the re-
entry of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
into politics is the start of another era
of “Mahathirism” in the country.
Former minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department and de facto
law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim
said that although the people do
not have the power to fight against
the political might of BN, “during
the time of elections they have the
power to vote for the candidate of
their choice”.