Khairuddin brands Nazri a coward

The Mahathir loyalist asks why the minister did not show up at Sunday's forum if he's truly keen to debate with the ex-PM.

PETALING JAYA: Former Umno man Khairuddin Abu Hassan has denounced Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz as a coward for his failure to turn up at last Sunday’s Nothing to Hide 2 forum to confront former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in a debate.

Speaking to FMT, Khairuddin recalled that earlier this year Nazri had shown much keenness for such a debate, even criticising the police for disallowing it.

“Why didn’t Nazri come to defend his kleptocratic government?” he said. “The fact is that Nazri talks a lot but at the end of the day, just like all the other Umno apple polishers, he is a coward.”

Khairuddin, a former Umno branch leader known for his loyalty to Mahathir, was reacting to Nazri’s comment about the violence at Sunday’s forum.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Nazri said the chaos that occurred was “predictable” and that Mahathir, now chairman of Pakatan Harapan, had “asked for it”.

Khairuddin said Umno leaders dared to speak only at events organised by their party or the government.

He said Prime Minister Najib Razak, for example, “dares to criticise Mahathir only in closed programmes, where he is surrounded and protected by his own supporters”.

“Mahathir, on the other hand, is willing to brave all kinds of risks for the people. It’s not that he wants to show he is brave or great, but when it comes to upholding a democratic system, Mahathir is not one to run and hide.”

He said Nazri would do better for himself if he kept quiet.

“Whatever Nazri says holds no water because the reality is that he was too yellow to come to the forum himself and debate with Mahathir openly.”

Sunday’s forum was aborted after projectiles emitting a pungent chemical odour were hurled to the stage when Mahathir was speaking.

The hall was filled with smoke and punches were traded as PPBM members rushed to the stage to protect the former PM.

The incident occurred soon after a participant questioned Mahathir on the Memali incident in which 14 villagers and four policemen were killed in a confrontation between the police and followers of an Islamic scholar in November 1985, when Mahathir was prime minister. - FMT