KUALA LUMPUR, March 28 – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad(Pic) said there was no other more suitable candidate than Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to helm the nation and Barisan Nasional (BN).
“I don’t have any candidate and I don’t expect that to happen,” said the former prime minister when asked whether Najib should step down if BN fails to do well in the coming 13th general election.
He said theoretically, if Najib did not do well, his position would indeed not be stable…”but I have no candidates or anything like that”. He was speaking to reporters after delivering a keynote address on “Strength in Innovation: How to Stay Competitive in the Fast Developing World” at the World Conference on Global Innovation at the Putra World Trade Centre, (PWTC), here, today.
Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir agreed with the opinion of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin that Najib should be fielding many new faces in the upcoming 13th general election. On the open admission by former PAS life member Zainol Ismail to want to meet personally with Dr Mahathir to apologise for planning to kill him in 1988, the former premier said he was at first shocked with Zainol’s admission.
He said this was because political animosity to the extent of wanting to kill someone was not part of Malaysian culture.
However, he believes that Zainol, better known as CN Afghani, had been influenced by the “Amanat Haji Hadi” which labelled Umno members as infidels.
“But Alhamdulillah (All Praise to Allah), he has realised (his mistake) and is no longer fanatical over PAS’ ideology, and has made a statement that he wants to apologise…I am prepared to forgive anyone,” said Dr Mahathir.
Asked when Parliament would be dissolved, Dr Mahathir said he himself had been waiting for the announcement.
“If I am the prime minister, I would have dissolved it last year,” he said in jest.
BERNAMA
