Dr M: I changed my views on Bersih after taking part

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said that his views on electoral reform coalition Bersih changed after participating in the Bersih 4 and 5 mass rallies.

Testifying in former Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah's suit against Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos, Mahathir admitted saying after Bersih 3 that future editions of the rally would be more violent.

In a blog post from 2012, he had said the Bersih 3 rally was then-opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat’s warm-up for “violent demonstrations” should it fail to win the 13th general election.

"Yes, I agree that it was my view at that time," he said before Justice Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today.

Mahathir was fielding questions from Jamal's lawyer, Mohd Nasser Yusof. Mahathir is Nasser’s second witness.

However, when cross-examined by Maria's lawyer N Surendran, the now opposition leader said his views have since changed.

"The (Bersih 4) assembly was peaceful… the participants also picked up the rubbish. Since Bersih 4, I also participated in Bersih 5, " he said.

When re-examined by Nasser, Mahathir pointed out that his views on Bersih – which advocates for free and fair elections – changed when he found out its leaders had no "kecenderungan" (tendency) for violence.

He had earlier told the court that the 1987 Ops Lalang crackdown, carried out during his tenure as prime minister and home minister, was to prevent riots.

When he was in charge, he said, his policy was to curb demonstrations, as they threatened to lead to “political violence.”

Mahathir also acknowledged that Maria’s late husband, Yunus Lebai Ali (photo), was among the 106 individuals detained.

Nasser then read out a white paper from 1988 in court, which stated that Yunus, along with activist Hishamuddin Rais, had met ex-Communist Party leader Chin Peng in China eight years prior.

The white paper claimed that the exiled guerrilla had suggested the formation of an armed corps for Malays.

Mahathir insisted that the order to arrest Yunus came from the police, but was uncertain whether it was issued by the Special Branch.

The former premier also stated that he did not know Yunus personally, only Hishamuddin.

Maria had filed a defamation suit against Jamal in 2016, after the red shirts leader alleged that Bersih had been infiltrated by Islamic State operatives.

Despite his attempts to set aside a subpoena to testify as a witness for the defence, Mahathir was ordered to do so by the High Court earlier this year.

The hearing continues tomorrow with Jamal’s testimony.

In an interview with Malaysiakini yesterday, Maria admitted delaying her decision to run as an independent candidate under the Pakatan Harapan banner due to Mahathir's leadership of the coalition. 

“It’s so hard to reconcile because he's the one who signed the detention order," she said, referring to her husband's detention.

Mahathir also stated yesterday that Harapan will seek a meeting with Maria on her plans to contest in the coming election, so as to avoid the possibility of multi-cornered fights. -Mkini