SHAH ALAM – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad faces many hurdles as the prime ministerial candidate for the Opposition, said veteran leader Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
“If his party wins the majority of seats in the election then his name can be put forward to be prime minister if the Opposition wins.
“If another Opposition party wins big, however, Dr Mahathir is unlikely to get the full support he needs from coalition members, then again I do not know how they function,” he said at a press conference at the G25 public forum “Reforms for a Progressive Malaysia” on Saturday (Jan 27).
On another matter, Tengku Razaleigh said he remained unsure if he would contest the upcoming general election.
The 81-year-old former Finance Minister was first elected to parliament in 1969 and has held the Gua Musang (formerly Ulu Kelantan) parliamentary seat ever since.
Razaleigh also said that political parties that win an election through gaining the highest number of seats but not the popular vote do not have the moral right to lead.
He said that there were two elements in the right to lead in a constitutional democracy.
“The first is the physical right. For instance, a political party must win a fairly contested election to govern a country.
“Should that election be run on the principle of victory as reflected by being first past the post, then a political grouping without a majority of popular votes but having the majority of elected seats will be on a sticky wicket.
Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said that authorities should not be harassing former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s wife Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.
“Why not go and catch Mahathir, for that matter?
“It is not rewarding for people in authority to act harshly… and even going after Siti Hasmah.
“I do not think it is the right thing… It is only going to create more unpleasant stories and give minuses to the ruling party, which I think is of no benefit to anybody,” he said during a press conference after he attended the G25 public forum titled “Reforms for a Progressive Malaysia” in Shah Alam today.
Police had yesterday recorded a statement from Siti Hasmah, 91, over her participation in a protest against “toxic politics” in Kuala Lumpur last September.
Tengku Razaleigh also commented on the possibility of Mahathir becoming the premier again, after the 92-year-old was announced as Pakatan Harapan’s prime minister candidate.
Mahathir (photo) faces many hurdles in the path to becoming prime minister again, he said.
Harapan may have agreed for now who will become prime minister if they capture Putrajaya in the next general election, but what happens if Bersatu only wins a handful of seats, he questioned.
“There are four parties (in Harapan) and if Mahathir’s party wins the most seats, probably they have a chance to nominate their leader, meaning him.
“But if they only win two or four seats? It is not likely that he will be the one they will support.
“I do not know, I am not in the party but these are equations you have to look at before you can put it to a vote in the Dewan Rakyat,” Tengku Razaleigh said.
Will leopards change their spots?
He also reminded that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has a role in choosing the prime minister as well.
When asked whether Mahathir’s return to prime ministership would have a negative effect on the judiciary and freedom of speech, among others, Tengku Razaleigh (centre in photo) said there is no way to tell.
However, he pointed out that the former premier already has a track record.
“I wish I have a crystal ball to tell you what is going to happen.
“But then again, he was here 22 years as prime minister and he has shown what he is like.
“He is now 92, coming to 93. Do you think leopards will change their spots? That is the big question by some people.
“Probably he will change, with the guidance of all those other leaders from the other parties. We never can tell,” he said.
During Mahathir’s prime ministership, he was often described by his critics as a dictator and given the nickname “Mahafiraun”.
This period also witnessed the 1988 constitutional and judicial crisis which saw the removal of the Supreme Court’s lord president Salleh Abas as well as the 1987 Operasi Lalang where over 100 activists, politicians, intellectuals and others were detained.
– M’kini
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