Dr M plans to head to Sabah for snap polls, wants to see defectors punished

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad confirmed that he would head to Sabah as the state gears up for a snap election.

Mahathir said the 13 assemblypersons who defected to the opposition, prompting Chief Minister Shafie Apdal to dissolve the state assembly in a bid to thwart off the coup attempt, will be punished.

"I will go to Sabah because I find that what happened in Sabah is a very bad example of corruption.

"I find that the 13 assemblypersons who quit the government parties were offered money. They were bribed. This is something we want to eliminate.

"They will be totally rejected by the people of Sabah as they cannot be trusted. They only follow money, not principles. When they get money, they hop," he said during an online talk show organised by entrepreneur group MyPerintis.

Mahathir claimed the people responsible for the bribery were the same people who previously fought against corruption but did not name names.

"I find that the old practice of corruption that we wanted to eliminate has emerged in Sabah.

"What is saddening is the people who previously fought corruption are the ones who are now directly involved in giving out bribes," he said.

Mahathir said while elected representatives may leave their party on issues of principle, switching sides due to enticement was wrong.

On a separate issue, Mahathir said the loan moratorium cannot last forever and businesses must reconfigure their operations during the moratorium period to prepare for when it ends.

He said among the measures is to pivot towards online sales but acknowledged that not everyone could do this.

"For example, people who are having stalls on the roadside, they just cannot do anything else.

"I sympathise with those who are unable to switch to another kind of business but always remember that the moratorium is not forever.

"At some stage, you have to pay your debts," he said.

He also again reiterated the need for Malaysians to have a "Malaysian culture" inculcating good values which he said will be key to the country's success. - Mkini