Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan
SEREMBAN: The declared intention of Pakatan Harapan to make Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad the prime minister if the opposition pact wins the next general election will not cause a so-called ‘Malay tsunami’ or tidal wave of support for the opposition, said Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
The Negeri Sembilan Barisan Nasional chairman said the move might have a slight impact on the voting trend but it would not trigger a ‘tsunami’.
“I am not saying that there will be no effect. There will be a slight impact but not what some people term as a Malay tsunami … that will not happen,” he said in a special interview with Bernama here.
On Jan 7, Pakatan Harapan announced that Dr Mahathir, its chairman as well as chairman of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), will become the prime minister and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail the deputy prime minister if the pact wins the 14th general election that will be called soon.
The component parties of Paktan Harapan, namely DAP, PKR, PPBM and Parti Amanah Negara, have picked Dr Mahathir to lead the opposition pact into the coming general election in their attempt to ‘save Malaysia’ and trigger a Malay tsunami to topple the BN government.
Mohamad, who is also Negeri Sembilan Umno Liaison Committee chairman, said he could not accept the fact that the former prime minister was willing to conspire with the opposition especially DAP which he had abhorred.
“I respect Tun Dr Mahathir. I have worked with him. However, since his association with DAP, I think it’s quite difficult for the Malays to support him.
“There is one thing … over the last 30, 40 years or so, he has stated that DAP is a racist party.
“Today, how come he and (DAP veteran Lim) Kit Siang are such good friends. DAP has become good. I cannot accept that. I am not angry at Tun Dr Mahathir, but his politics is harming the nation,” he said.
Mohamad, who is the state assemblyman for Rantau, said the Malays had matured in their thinking and could judge whether Dr Mahathir was doing good or otherwise for the nation.
“People even in the villages have lost their respect for him. In the surau, elders who rarely talk about politics ask me what has become of Dr Mahathir.
It has come to that stage (of people disagreeing with what Dr Mahathir is doing),” he said. — Bernama