Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said the ruling party led by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is likely to lose the next general election if it is conducted in a proper manner.
"If the elections (are held) in an orderly manner, without fuss, without playing with the ballot box and so on, I think BN will lose," Singapore’s The Straits Times (ST) reported Mahathir saying today.
However, the report did not elaborate, apart from the former premier saying the Malays have become a “minority” voting bloc with the Malay vote being “badly split”.
He was speaking in an interview with ST’s Malay publication Berita Minggu at his office in Kuala Lumpur.
Mahathir, who has been at the forefront in calling for Najib to step down, predicted a BN loss despite the opposition being weak.
"The opposition is not very strong. They have broken up. They have problems," he told Berita Minggu, adding, "There are certainly contentious issues."
The Singapore daily noted however that Mahathir, who has joined hands with the opposition and civil society in the Citizens' Declaration to urge Najib’s resignation, is “clearly working with the opposition with his eyes open”.
‘Zahid’s ascension up to Umno’
Meanwhile on the subject of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi replacing Najib should the latter step down, Mahathir said, "It is up to Umno. They must find a leader who they believe will not abuse power."
The interview also covered the long-reigning prime minister’s thorny relationship with late former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
"Personally, I had no problems. I could talk to Lee Kuan Yew.
“But I did not agree with his views, his approach. That was all there was between us.
“I don't regard him as an enemy," said Mahathir. - Mkini
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