KUALA LUMPUR – Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan has come to his party boss Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s rescue by taking a swipe at former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
In a statement on his Facebook page last night, Ahmad called out Dr Mahathir for being “irrelevant” to national politics and to stay clear of Umno’s affairs.
He said Dr Mahathir must come to his senses as he is no longer managing or in charge of the nation’s political dynamics.
“If he and his party were given the confidence to lead Malaysia, (political) stability will not be achieved.
“Pejuang is his third party since leaving Umno. When Bersatu was part of Pakatan Harapan (PH), Dr Mahathir failed to ‘control’ Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and ‘a scheme of things’ occurred which became an open secret.
“Dr Mahathir also failed to ‘control’ DAP with a political doctrine which ensured that the party could safeguard the interests of the Malays or Bumiputeras in every policy, action and speech.”
Ahmad alluded that Langkawi MP Dr Mahathir has been a “nobody” since quitting Umno, as the parties – Bersatu and Pejuang – which were set up by him are performing poorly in the political arena.
He also cited Pejuang’s sound defeat in the Johor state polls where the party lost its deposit in all the 42 seats it contested.
“Who is Dr Mahathir without Umno? Bersatu members had ‘betrayed’ each other which resulted in the fall of the PH administration.
“Pejuang only has four parliamentary seats, including himself (Dr Mahathir) and his son (Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir).”
Ahmad also lambasted the 96-year-old over “half-baked pro-Malay and Bumiputera policies” that have threatened the well-being and harmony of the people.
“The Malay Dignity Congress which was organised was merely all talk but no action. No concrete offer was given to the Malays.
“If anything, the Shared Prosperity Vision pioneered by Bersatu did not yield the results which were expected.
“The Malays and Bumiputeras are still left behind where the education and income gap among these communities have not improved.”
Meanwhile, Ahmad refused to pass up the opportunity to stand up for Datuk Seri Najib Razak over his comments during his debate with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that “cash is king”.
Ahmad then reminded Dr Mahathir that “crony is king” during his time as prime minister, saying the people were not put first.
“The economic ideology of enriching a handful of cronies with the assumption that others will benefit is hard to happen.
“As a result, his cronies became rich while other the commoners, especially Malays or Bumiputeras are still less successful to this day.
“Dr Mahathir once said he never had cronies, only qualified and capable people. It is impossible that out of 32 million Malaysians, only his cronies are capable.”
On Tuesday, Dr Mahathir threatened to drag Zahid to court over the latter’s allegation involving his lineage.
This comes less than a month after the Umno president initiated a defamation suit against Dr Mahathir for accusing him of attempting to free himself from his ongoing criminal charges.
Yesterday, Dr Mahathir claimed that the Bagan Datoh MP had voiced his concern over the criminal cases filed against the former deputy prime minister when they held several meetings.
In a statement of defence filed yesterday through Messrs Haidir & Co, he claimed that the five meetings between June 7, 2018 and February 25, 2020 took place at several locations, namely his residence in Mines Resort City, Seri Kembangan; Perdana Leadership Foundation, Putrajaya; and the Prime Minister’s Office in Perdana Putra. – The Vibes, May 19, 2022
