Critics pounce on Dr M's DPM faux pas

Criticisms continue to rain down on Dr Mahathir Mohamad's recent speech which apparently suggested that DAP was seeking the position of deputy prime minister.

This was despite Mahathir later clarifying that he was a victim of foggy memory and he had mistakenly mixed up DAP with an MCA leader's statement way back in 2009.

According to Mingguan Malaysia columnist Awang Selamat, Mahathir's recollections on DAP's ambitions could be clearly heard in the video recording of the speech in question.

The author said the speech vindicates former DAP vice-president Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim's claim of a deal between opposition parties to install Mukhriz Mahathir as prime minister and DAP's Lim Kit Siang as deputy prime minister.

"This is the result of a strategic collaboration between Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Lim, who had been Mahathir's enemy for years.

"What Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said was true: For 22 years, Mahathir had criticised Lim, labled him as a racist, anti-Islam and anti-Malay but now wants to him as deputy prime minister.

"This is what makes the Malays angry with Mahathir. His extreme change of heart, just to fulfill his own political interest, cannot be taken seriously," said Awang, a pseudonym used by Utusan Malaysia's senior editors.

'Dr M is forgetful'

Meanwhile, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang described Mahathir as a "forgetful" person, because the DPM row showed that the latter had forgotten the country's history.

"Anyone who subscribes to or agrees with Mahathir's position in this issue are forgetful people.

"(What Mahathir said) was for Malays, Chinese and Indians who are forgetful," said Abdul Hadi, according to Berita Harian.

Another Mingguan Malaysia columnist Zulkefli Hamzah wrote that Mahathir's faux pas followed by his meeting with Lim on Friday was bad news for Pakatan Harapan and their alliance with Bersatu.

"This issue only hurts the feelings of other coalition parties. Who is Mahathir, whose party (Bersatu) is not formally part of Pakatan Harapan, to champion DAP's cause? What is Lim's game now?

"How does PKR, specifically its president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, feel about this? Lim supported Wan Azizah as interim prime minister until Anwar Ibrahim's release from prison.

"Therefore, will Mukhriz or Anwar be the (opposition's) choice for prime minister based on the (new) Mahathir-DAP alliance?" asked Zulkefli in his Warung Rakyat column.- Mkini