Pandikar is trying to shame me, says Dr M

Former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin had told him that he was unhappy with his office facilities. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Kamal Ariffin, May 18, 2015.Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said that Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia was trying to "shame" him by denying his intention to resign in a private meeting between both men.

"He is shaming me by saying he never told me that. He told me he does not want to be speaker anymore and that he was unhappy with how he was being treated," he added.

"He even told me he had sent in his resignation to the prime minister and will be communicating his decision to the PM," Dr Mahathir told reporters after the launch of of his new book today, a compilation of letters he had written to other world leaders during his tenure as prime minister.

He said it was "not nice" for Pandikar to deny the episode altogether.

Dr Mahathir claimed in a forum on Saturday that Pandikar had resigned as Speaker, but the latter refuted this hours later and said he would stay on as Speaker.

Earlier today, Dr Mahathir also claimed that Pandikar was dissatisfied with the facilities in the Speaker's office, and said this could have been a reason for his unhappiness with the government.

"He said he was not happy with the furnishings in his room," Dr Mahathir had said earlier when asked about Pandikar's rebuttal during the launch of his new book today.

"He said his room is so shabby, 'how can they treat a Speaker like this?' Maybe that's why he was unhappy. This was what he told me.”

Pandikar was present today at the Dewan Rakyat to preside over its proceedings. The current sitting began today and will last for a month.

- TMI