Today marks Umno’s 72nd birthday, and newly elected Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has some sage advice for the party he once led.
“Go back to your roots,” he simply said, when asked by Malaysiakini if he had a birthday message for Umno after a press conference in Petaling Jaya last night.
As its president for 22 years during his first premiership, Mahathir had in recent times lamented that the Malay rights party was not the party it once was.
Yesterday, Mahathir made history as the first ever opposition leader to be sworn in as the country’s prime minister.
‘For a dictator, I am a good listener’
Earlier during the press conference, when asked how he planned to develop the economy as the prime minister, Mahathir said that he would listen to the advice of experts in his government, as he always had when he was previously prime minister.
“For a ‘dictator’, I am also a good listener.
“Among the people I had to listen to (when I was last PM) was Rafidah Aziz (former international trade and industry minister).
“She makes herself heard whether you like it or not,” he said, to laughs from the many local and international media personnel present.
Critics have often branded Mahathir as a dictator for his firm grip on power during his first premiership.
Mahathir also thanked Rafidah, along with former ministers Daim Zainuddin and Rais Yatim, who in the few weeks leading up to the election had all come out to stump for Harapan.
“I believe (other politicians) wish they had the guts.
“Guts is the commodity that is scarce in this country,” he said.
All three former ministers were Umno veterans who had faced party action prior to the general election for supporting Harapan.
Daim and Rafidah were expelled from Umno, while Rais faced an internal investigation. -Mkini
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