Kit Siang hates 'Mahathirism', but not Dr M

DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang has rejected claims that he “hated” former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, clarifying that he was instead opposed to “Mahathirism” and its apparent revival. 

In a press release today, Lim said Mahathir was currently working hard to restore and entrench Mahathirism in Umno and BN’s policy.

Lim said that his anti-Mahathirism stance is shared by former premiers Tunku Abdul Rahman, Hussein Onn and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. 

“Let me assure Mahathir that I do not hate him at all but like three former prime ministers and the majority of Malaysians in 2012, I am opposed to Mahathirism and its return to Malaysian politics in 13th general election,” he said. 

Lim said that in recent months, Mahathir had been attempt to resurrect the “worst strains of Mahathirism”, such as stoking racism. 

Among examples that Lim listed out includes Mahathir’s frequent warnings that the Malays will “lose power” if BN loses the next general election, that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is weak, that reforms could spark unrest and that the Chinese voters will be “kingmakers”. 

“(These) exhortations... are not only untrue, most incendiary and highly provocative, but totally against five decades of Malaysian nation-building,  his own Vision 2020 of  Bangsa Malaysia and Najib’s 1Malaysia concept,” said Lim. 

Of late, Lim had been hounding Mahathir over his string of comments in public and on his blog chedet.cc which he argued was an attempt to influence the Najib administration with his brand of politics. 

After weeks of sustained criticism by Lim, Mahathir publicly dismissed the Mahathirism lable, stressing that it did not exist. 

Instead, he attributed the Mahathirism lable to Lim, accusing the latter of “hating” him. 

“I don’t know why he hates me so much,” Mahathir told reporters yesterday. 

Mahathir also denied that he was trying to influence Najib, even stressing that if he did, things would be “quite different”.