Mahathir on GE-13 date: "No harm waiting a little longer"

Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad added to the guessing game on the General Election date, refusing to give clear indication of when it was likely to be except to say that it was "no harm waiting a little longer".

Mahathir also said the selection of 'winnable' candidates would cause disputes between the party leadership and members at the grassroots level as the final decision would have to be made by Prime Minister Najib Razak and his advisory panel.

"No harm in waiting a little longer. It can also give more time for Najib to decide who should be fielded," Bernama reported Mahathir as saying.

"When the party has decided to name its candidates, all quarters must be made to give full support to ensure victory for the selected candidates. It's vital to ensure victory for the party so that the people will benefit from it."

Speculation has been rife over when GE-13 will be. Malaysians are all geared up for the polls, which most expect will be a sizzler, with the Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim giving the BN the fight of its life.

Making fools of the Tunku

Meanwhile, according to Mahathir, there were certain quarters who were trying to mock the country's first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman's contributions as a freedom fighter as they refused to recognise Umno's struggle.

"They are mocking Tunku Abdul Rahman by claiming that he wasn't a freedom fighter, and instead, they are promoting the image of Malayan Communist Party chief Chin Peng. This is all done to win support in politics," the 85-year old Mahathir said.

He had earlier said he supported the view of controversial historian Zainal Kling who posited that Malaysia had never been a colony of Britian's but merely a "protectorate".

Both Mahathir and Kling have been slammed for bending history to glorify UMNO and win a psy-war against PAS and its deputy president Mat Sabu, who has challenged Umno's version of history that it was the only independence fighter for Malaya.

- Malaysia Chronicle