"JUST GIVE IT TO HIM" - Dr M says Karpal should be PM

KUALA LUMPUR - The intention of PAS to make its President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang as Prime Minister should the opposition pact win the general election shows that they are squabbling among themselves.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad quipped that the post should be given to DAP chairman Karpal Singh instead.

"Even before forming the government, they are already squabbling, later (if) they form the government not only Hadi, Anwar (Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) and even Karpal Singh too would want to be PM.

"Just give it to him. (It's) tough, he has struggled too long...should give Karpal Singh (to be) Malaysia's Prime Minister, yang amat berhormat...upon retiring he becomes a Tun," he told reporters after launching the Gaza Emergency Fund, here today.

Dr Mahathir, who is also president of the Premier Global Peace Foundation (PGPF), was commenting on the stand of delegates at the 58th PAS Assembly recently who wanted Abdul Hadi to become Prime Minister should the opposition pact win the coming general election.

Asked why the DAP would want Anwar to become Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir said the party wanted to win the trust of the Malay community in the country.

On Anwar's statement to the Wall Street Journal earlier this year - in which he was reported to have supported all action to look after the security of Israel, Dr Mahathir said it arose because he wanted the support of the Jews.

Dr Mahathir, however, called on Anwar's supporters not to become too obsessed and fanatical and to use their brains in evaluating all the actions of their leader.

"If we don't take into account what the leader does, this will destroy the country," he pointed out.

On the hearing by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission on Palestine today, Dr Mahathir said besides listing Israel in the war crimes register, the media should expose the various criminal acts committed by Israel for the international community to judge.

He said the Malaysian media were more open in reporting the actual incidents compared to the international media which was dominated by the Jews.

The fund that was launched aims to assist victims of the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Peninsular since last Wednesday.

– Bernama