KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 ― The politician son of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has challenged his father’s Umno foe to a face-off, saying Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz must pass him if he wants to take on the former prime minister.
Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said he refused to let the tourism and culture minister take on his father so easily, Islamic news portal Ismaweb reported today.
“I, as Tun Mahathir’s son, will face off with him (Nazri). If he wants to fight, come meet me first, you can’t easily do it,” he was quoted as saying.
The Kedah state lawmaker claimed Nazri “had lost his mind” by initiating a “fighting match” with 90-year-old Dr Mahathir.
“I think he’s lost his mind and his judgement, insane people they’re called, but with the title of a minister… This is how our ministers are today,” Mukhriz was quoted saying.
Nazri is known to have no love of Dr Mahathir and his animosity surfaced recently in remarks after the police stripped the former PM of 22 years of his escort privilege.
The minister was quoted by The Star daily as saying on May 1 that such logistical privileges should not be awarded to those in opposition to Putrajaya and that he was “prepared to have a match with him anytime”, ostensibly referring to Dr Mahathir.
Former Kedah mentri besar Mukhriz, along with his father and two former ministers, have joined forces with opposition lawmakers and activists to create the Save Malaysia movement, an effort to pressure Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to resign.
