KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 — Umno minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz has encouraged Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to join more street protests, saying his participation in public demonstrations only casts a spotlight on his own past misdeeds.
“We don’t have to stop his actions. Let him be. I want to encourage him to make more demonstrations.
“Because the more he does, the more times he shows what he had done in the past was wrong,” he was quoted telling Malay language daily Sinar Harian in an interview.
The tourism and culture minister added that Dr Mahathir’s presence at demonstrations would not tarnish Malaysia’s image as it only speaks positively of the country’s democracy that a former prime minister is allowed to demonstrate on the streets without facing action.
“That is why I think we should let him be. Let him have his fun and be satisfied,” he said.
Nazri added that instead of harming the country’s reputation, Dr Mahathir’s actions only harmed his own dignity.
“I can state right now that there is no affect at all towards the party or the country. Because people can see clearly that what he has done in the past and what he is doing now is very different,” he said.
“People don’t care for it. People see him as vengeful, relentless,” he added.
Dr Mahathir, together with politicians from both sides of the divide and civil society, launched the Citizens’ Declaration on March 4 in a movement called Save Malaysia to push for Najib’s resignation.
The former prime minister was allowed on stage during Pakatan Harapan’s protest against the Goods and Service Tax (GST) last week and was also seen attending the Bersih 4 rally last year.
