ECONOMIST Prof Jomo Kwame Sundaram said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had rejected his advice to take on the role as an elder statesperson and step away from politics.
In a meeting about seven months ago, Jomo said he had offered a piece of advice to the former Pejuang chairman to take on the role of an elder statesman for the developing world but Mahathir had rejected it.
“I told him rather than continuing to be involved in Malaysian politics, he should take on the role of an elder statesman for the developing world. Of course, as usual, he rejected my advice and we know the consequences thereof,” the Khazanah Research Institute senior adviser added.
Jomo said this in an online forum titled “Malaysia’s future in a fractured world” organised by the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia last night.
Dr Mahathir suffered a crushing defeat in the 15th general election (GE15) when he lost the Langkawi parliamentary seat in a five-cornered fight.
Earlier this month, he officially left Pejuang to join Putra as an advisor. The party is led by long-time ally Datuk Ibrahim Ali.
On March 19, the 98-year-old politician described the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim-led unity government as a “dictatorship” after the cancellation of the “Malay Proclamation” rally.
Claiming that government critics were being prevented from voicing their dissatisfaction, Dr Mahathir also said that the people have the right to rebuke the government.
Not only does the government reject this, but it is also ready to take action against its opponents and to detain such critics, he added.
Following two venue cancellations, it has been reported that the “Malay Proclamation” event has moved online, with the event organiser saying that the campaign will go on “indefinitely” so that it reaches “all Malays who love the country”. – March 28, 2023
Main pic credit: The Star
