Dr M should campaign honourably ― Ravinder Singh

Dr Mahathir Mohamad is obviously very unhappy that Lim Kit Siang is contesting in Gelang Patah. That is his right: to be unhappy and say so.

In his recent write up on this, he says “when Kit Siang wins Gelang Patah” ― here, he is acknowledging that this candidate is going to win.

What is regretted is that Dr Mahathir then goes on to say that this candidate’s win would result in racial confrontation and “even if there will not be violent clashes as seen in many countries where people are divided by race or religion, but confrontation between the three major races in Malaysia will be disruptive and will not be conducive to the development of Malaysia.”

Instead of making such irresponsible statements that can give wrong ideas to some people, he should take the honourable way of neutralising this candidate’s chances of victory.

Dr Mahathir has volunteered to go to Kelantan and campaign for Ibrahim Ali. Why not take on this candidate in Gelang Patah by the horns?

Go and campaign against him using facts and figures to convince the electorate there that a vote for him would be a vote for the bad of the country. Show and explain, point by point, how this could happen (leaving race and religion out).

With his 22 years of experience as PM, Dr Mahathir should be able to argue his case hands down.

No one should play the race and religion card in campaigning for public support. Parliament must have considered very carefully when it drew up a whole chapter on OFFENCES RELATING TO RELIGION in the Penal Code (Chapter XV).

No one is above the law, and surely not the law makers themselves, past or present.