KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that the decision to retain or sack embattled minister P. Waytha Moorthy is his and his alone.
“People can express their opinion and it’s up to me to decide.
“(But) I haven’t decided,” he said this while referring to growing demands for the national unity and social well-being minister to either quit or get sacked.
Dr Mahathir further said that he was okay with the leader’s performance so far.
A social media campaign registered by NGO Gerakan Pengundi Sedar has so far received close to 300,000 signatories following the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim who died from injuries that he had sustained in the Nov 27 Seafield Temple riot.
Adib and other rescuers from the Subang Jaya Emergency Response System (EMRS) unit was deployed to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Subang Jaya to put out a vehicle fire.
However, Adib was dragged out of the EMRS vehicle and set upon by a mob.
He was later rescued by members of the public who rushed him to the Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) for treatment and later transferred to the National Heart Institute (IJN).
Meanwhile on Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s claims that the multiple crossovers of UMNO members would takeover Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Dr Mahathir said, “no way.”
“They cannot hold office until the next election,” he said in a clipping reply to reporters after delivering the keynote address at the Malaysian Institute of Management here today.
On the public opinion over some leaders crossing over including Former Melaka Chief Minister Tan Sri Rahim Thamby Chik, he said anyone can apply but it does not mean that they would be accepted.
In a question and answer session earlier, Dr Mahathir was asked what his biggest regret was.
“My biggest regret? I don’t know, I am very bad at choosing people,” the prime minister said, to laughter from the audience.
Dr Mahathir has made similar remarks in the past, usually in reference to his decision to pick Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime ministers.
However, several of Dr Mahathir’s current cabinet members are not popular with the public.
This includes Waytha, and also Education Minister Maszlee Malik. — NST
Bersatu Youth hands memorandum to Dr M seeking Waytha’s removal
Bersatu’s Youth Wing has handed a memorandum to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, urging for the removal of P Waythamoorthy as a minister.
According to Bersatu sources, the memorandum was handed to Mahathir in his office, earlier today. Mahathir is also Bersatu chairperson.
Among the reasons cited in the memo calling for the minister to be sacked was that he, as the minister in charge of unity, had allegedly failed to contain interracial tensions over the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple issue.
The Hindraf chairperson was also cited for having blamed the police for allegedly not handling the temple issue well, and also for failing to apologise over a 10-year-old video of him criticising the alleged discrimination against ethnic minorities, particularly Indian Malaysians.
It is learned that Armada chief, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is also the youth and sports minister, was also present at the meeting.
Waythamoorthy is under mounting pressure, both from the opposition and within Harapan, to resign from the cabinet following the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, on Monday night. Adib was severely injured in riots outside the temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya.
Besides, an online petition calling for his resignation has also garnered over 300,000 signatures.
At the onset of the temple intrusion on Nov 26, Waythamoorthy, had with three other ministers – namely M Kulasegaran, Gobind Singh, and Dr Xavier Jayakumar, had chided the Subang Jaya police for initially claiming that it involved two Indian groups.
The police statement was later amended to state it was a clash between two groups of people.
The lawmakers had also alleged that the police were late to arrive at the scene after the fight erupted.
As for the video, which was Waythamoorthy’s interview with a Dutch TV, shortly after the Hindraf rally in Nov 2007, Waythamoorthy has since clarified that it had a very different context. – MKINI
NST / MKINI
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