M’sian foreign minister lashes out at Mahathir in open letter to New York Times

KUALA LUMPUR ― Malaysia’s foreign minister has accused former leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad of spreading “lies” and wrecking his own country in a bid to fulfil his personal political vendetta against Prime Minister Najib Razak.

In an open letter to The New York Times today (June 19), Mr Anifah Aman said the retired prime minister’s recent attacks against 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was “an excuse to topple the serving prime minister, Najib Razak” after failing to get what he wants.

“It is regrettable to see Mahathir seeking to undermine his own country in the international media as part of a personal political vendetta,” Mr Anifah said in response to Dr Mahathir’s vilification of Najib in an interview carried by the US daily yesterday.

“And all because his personal demands, as Mahathir himself has acknowledged, are not being met,” he added.

The Sabahan who became a federal minister as a part of the Najib administration said Dr Mahathir was abusing his freedom and privilege to mount a smear campaign against Mr Najib.

He pointed out that Dr Mahathir has been unrelenting in his offensive against 1MDB – Mr Najib’s brainchild – despite ongoing investigations by three separate agencies on the state investment fund’s alleged financial and management irregularities: Bank Negara, the Auditor-General and Parliament’s bipartisan Public Accounts Committee.

“For Mahathir to accuse Prime Minister Najib of acts ‘verging on criminal’ is simply outrageous, and entirely false.

“It is a measure of the reforms put in place under Prime Minister Najib’s administration that Mahathir has the freedom to be so vocally critical of the party and government he once led,” Mr Anifah said.

He further pointed out that Dr Mahathir’s claim to NYT, that the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party “lacks vision and talented people” was the latter’s own doing.

Dr Mahathir who was in office for 22 years had also been president of UMNO and should take responsibility for cultivating “yes men” who could shore up his leadership and prevent any challenger to his position.

Mr Anifah also blamed Dr Mahathir for introducing the deeply-entrenched rent-seekers among the politicians and said it was Mr Najib who is seeking to dismantle that system with his democratisation of the party constitution to allow for challengers to the UMNO presidency today.

“Prime Minister Najib, as Malaysia’s democratically elected leader, will do what he thinks is right for the nation, and will not allow rule by proxy,” he said.

Mr Anifah did not elaborate but speculation has been rife that Dr Mahathir is paving the way for his son and Kedah Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir to transit from governing a state to the federal level.

Many political observers believe Mr Mukhriz’s presence in Putrajaya would be a return to Mahathirism.

“Most Malaysians would rather see Dr Mahathir retire gracefully than continue to damage the standing of his own country for personal political gain,” the foreign minister said in ending his letter.

Dr Mahathir, 89, has emerged as Mr Najib’s harshest critic in recent weeks with his tenacious questions about the assets of the debt-riddled 1MDB and its ability to repay its growing RM42 billion (S$15 billion) debt pile.

The man who has snuffed the political careers of two of his former proteges – his handpicked successor Mr Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim who is currently in jail for the second time on sodomy charges – appears to have trained his sights on Mr Najib. THE MALAY MAIL ONLINE