Don't target opposition only, Mahathir tells MACC

 

The MACC seems to be "superficial" in going after only members of the opposition, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

"We know Umno spent a lot of money during the (15th general) election (GE15). Where did the money come from? Is it legal or not?

"The question is, how does a party get so much money? The government must eliminate corruption regardless of whether it is done by those in the government or outside (opposition)," he told the New Straits Times in an interview at his Perdana Leadership Foundation office in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The former Langkawi MP was commenting on the graft charges filed against former Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan and Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad recently.

Following the charges, Wan Saiful, who is also Tasek Gelugor MP, has stepped down from his post as information chief in Bersatu.

'People don't buy Anwar's multi-racialism'

Mahathir (above) also spoke about whether Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has what it takes to tackle the "green wave" concerning PAS and Perikatan Nasional.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

"Anwar is very strong on multi-racialism, but the people (still) do not believe in it truly.

"At the constituency level, if voters are predominantly of Chinese origin, a Malay cannot contest there, because there is a lack of racial affinity.

"While politicians and intellectuals talk about multi-racialism, on the ground it is not happening," he told the daily.

He claimed that the contrast in terms of economic well-being among the races is also still very apparent, and to address this issue, the government must ensure that all races get their fair share of the country's wealth.

Mahathir did not miss out on taking a dig at PAS, saying the Islamist party does not "truly" conform to the true teachings of Islam - among others, by claiming that corruption is permitted in the religion.

"In fact, many other things like condemning some people as not being Muslim enough are also wrong. You cannot just condemn people unless there is clear evidence that the accused has rejected his or her belief."

According to him, the "green wave" that swept across the northern states in GE15 was due to the Umno administration's weakness.

'Malaysia shortchanged'

On another matter, Mahathir claimed that the country has been shortchanged in the US$3.9 billion (RM16.77 billion) settlement it reached with Goldman Sachs Group over the firm's role in the 1MDB scandal.

"All the scenes again are not being presented openly... it is not transparent. The government is doing things in secret.

"Yes, I think we have been shortchanged. Well, I'm afraid that the government at that time had agreed to the amount. Once you agree, of course, it is very difficult to reverse or reconsider the amount."

Mahathir was commenting on the settlement reached under the Muhyiddin Yassin administration three years ago, for Putrajaya to receive the remaining US$1.4 billion (RM5.97 billion) after the assets related to the misappropriated proceeds from the transactions have been returned to the government.

The agreement courted backlash, but Putrajaya has yet to publish the terms of the settlement due to confidentiality.

Last month, Anwar told Goldman to pay up the settlement amount instead of trying to ignore its "moral and financial responsibilities".

Elaborating on the matter, Mahathir urged the government to release the details of the deal as the rakyat had the right to know. - Mkini