Prove I was seditious to royalty, Dr M tells Karpal

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has challenged DAP chairperson Karpal Singh to prove that the former PM had made seditious comments against the royalty during the parliamentary debates for the 1993 constitutional amendment on the monarch's immunity.

This follows an attempt by Karpal to subpoena Mahathir for his defence over his sedition case, claiming that the former PM had uttered more seditious statements than he, but had been let off the hook.

"Can he quote that and show me the Hansard, if what I said is regarded as seditious?" Mahathir told a press conference during his Hari Raya open house at his residence in Seri Kembangan.

Karpal is facing a sedition charge for saying at a Feb 6, 2009 press conference that legal action could be instituted against the Perak sultan for his role in the state constitutional crisis earlier that year.

Yesterday, deputy public prosecutor Noorin Badaruddin argued in court against Karpal’s bid to subpoena Mahathir saying that the latter had in fact been trying to “defend” the royal institution at the time by setting up the Special Court that could hold the royalty accountable in their personal capacity.

Mahathir added that he was prepared to face the subpoena attempt against him.

Elaborating on the matter, Mahathir explained his effort to push through with the said amendment then had not directly touched on the prerogative of the monarchs.

"The laws that we passed concerned actions by the monarchs that was outside their prerogative. If it concerns their official duty, then we cannot take action. Only those who act beyond their duties or violate the law, then only do we take action. It is not take action could be simply done," he said.

'Unwavering hatred against me'

The ex-premier subsequently ticked off Karpal for attempting to target him despite the fact that the former had already retired.

"Why do you want to attack me? I don't have any more power. There seem to be a kind of hatred towards me which cannot disappear," he said.

Mahathir accused the opposition of manipulating hatred as its only means of gaining support.

"They (opposition) live on hatred... Whatever (good) the government does, they forget and only focus on the bad because if people hate the government, then people will like them (opposition)."

He added that despite the global economic woes, Malaysia has performed exceedingly well, but this was ignored by the opposition.

Mahathir had previously also lamented over the "hatred" he faced from DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang after the latter accused him of sowing racial tensions in the run-up to the next general election.

Lim had fired back, stating that he was opposed to Mahathir's brand of politics dubbed 'Mahathirism' rather than the man himself.