Mahathir: Yes, we are the devils people know

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad confirmed that the ‘devil’ which he had referred to in a recent blog posting was the ruling coalition.

"Well, people ask about the devil ... we are the devil people know. They are the angels people don't know," he told a press conference at his residence during his Hari Raya open house this afternoon.

Asked what he meant by "they" when talking about the angels, Mahathir replied: "The opposition lah."

However, Mahathir warned that these "angels" are not as innocent as they may seem, stating: "Sometimes, angels can also do a lot of wrong things".

He stressed that while the opposition has been calling for change, it may not necessarily be for the better.

"They (opposition) say BN has ruled this country for 55 years and it is time for change - it's time for a tiger (to take over). But change should be for the better, if you change for something worse, you will regret it.

"I can assure you if they ever win, they will make sure they will continue to win forever," he said.

They will rule forever 

On Wednesday, Mahathir blogged, "Better the devil you know than the angel you don't,” in calling on people to support the ruling party.

He also likened the electoral campaign of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to US President Barack Obama's, for promising the people many changes but with no guarantee of realising them.

The former premier said it would be dangerous to give the opposition party a trial as government for five years, since much damage could be done during that period of time.

"Besides, the opposition as government will ensure there will be no return for BN," the former PM had written.

Mahathir also said that BN has strengthen itself and if Prime Minister Najib Razak were to have more time before announcing the date of the general election, support for the ruling coalition could be even better.