Salleh: Mahathir wants revenge, not out to save Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has no intentions of saving Malaysia and only wants to feed his political agenda in his current campaign against Prime Minister and Umno President Najib Razak, says Sabah Umno leader Salleh Said Keruak.

Salleh, in a blog article today, said that Mahathir’s method, conspiring with his former enemies to overthrow the democratically elected government, showed that the intention was not to save Malaysia, but to destroy it.

“Mahathir and his gang try to find the shortest way to topple the government. They are not following the democratic process, which is the practice in Malaysia since independence, and not wait for the electoral process,” he wrote.

Dr Mahathir initiated the so-called Citizens’ Declaration calling for Najib’s ouster, signed on March 4 by 45 people, among them Mahathir’s supporters as well as opposition politicians and civil society leaders. It is a prelude to the launch of a people’s movement next week.

Salleh, who is communications minister in Najib’s cabinet, said Mahathir’s writings showed that he had high ambitions.

“Mahathir tries to show that he is better than Najib, even equating himself with some of the previous prime ministers, whereas his character does not reflect the real personality. This proves Mahathir does not want to hear and accept any answers or explanations that do not fit his needs,” Salleh said.

“His open letter clearly shows his intention to destroy Umno. His writings are full of revenge against Najib. He digs up old stories, repeating what has already been answered. He makes various accusations against the party, while he left the fight for the party.

Salleh said Mahathir had no right to interfere in Umno’s affairs, having declared he was leaving the party, and being in cahoots with Umno’s main political foe.