Ramkarpal Singh unleashed a scathing salvo against Dr Mahathir Mohamad with regard to the proposal that the nonagenarian becomes prime minister for the third time.
Without mincing words, the DAP lawmaker blamed the former premier's past actions for the current state of the nation and expressed remorse for collaborating with him under Pakatan Harapan.
"I regret working with you. You are why this country is (in this situation) today. You are why this country needs reform.
"And today you say you want to 'save the country'? You are the last person who can," he added in a statement this evening.
The Bukit Gelugor MP was responding to Mahathir's party Pejuang nominating him for the prime minister post to replace Muhyiddin Yassin.
Conveying the Pejuang pro-tem committee's decision in a Facebook post, Mahathir's aide Abu Bakar Yahya had written: "The committee members unanimously decided that Mahathir is our candidate for prime minister to replace the current prime minister pending the next general election if the country wants to be saved."
Following Muhyiddin's ascension to the top post in March through a political coup, Harapan claimed that it possessed the numbers to recapture federal power but were locked in a stalemate over who should be prime minister.
Much to the chagrin of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, DAP and Amanah had supported the proposal for Mahathir to lead the coalition's government again.
Later, the two parties backed Mahathir's proposal for Warisan president Shafie Apdal to be prime minister, which Anwar opposed.
In a media statement this morning, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who urged Muhyiddin to focus on battling the Covid-19 pandemic instead of the fissures within the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, chose to sidestep questions regarding DAP's stand.
"I have been asked by the press to comment on DAP’s position on the current political developments following the fragmentation of PN and component parties due to dissatisfaction with the prime minister’s poor handling of the Covid-19 health crisis.
"However, there is no need at the moment to reiterate or repeat the party's position when the public yearns for a government that is responsible for the nation and people's interests and not for their own individual and political survival," he added.
Meanwhile, Ramkarpal, in his blistering statement, noted how Mahathir had resigned as prime minister without consulting Harapan leaders as well as his promise to pass over the leadership baton to Anwar.
"This man resigned as prime minister. He says he did so because he purportedly did not have the majority at the material time.
"Never mind that he didn't bother to consult his government or cabinet. He did it his way.
"Now, he wants to be PM again. As a Malaysian, I must ask myself, isn't there anybody else?
"Are we going to appoint the same person who promised the country that he will pass over the baton to Anwar at some point but to tell us today that he is wrong for the country?
"Why tell us that if you thought he was suitable then? To win votes?" he added.
Ramkarpal also delved into Mahathir's past, notably his actions during his first tenure as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, including the mass arrests of dissidents.
He recalled how the former premier had promised a slew of reforms prior to the last general election but later claimed that he did not expect to win the polls.
"I used to believe him.
"Today he is dead bent on a government without Anwar, which begs the question: Why did you lie in the past, promising him the throne?
"I respect what you have done in the past. You destroyed the judiciary, put countless people inside because they went against you. Remember the Internal Security Act?" he added. - Mkini
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