Bringing down governments is democratic: Dr Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR — If a government abuses its powers, people should use the next General Election to vote out the ruling party and its leader, says former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, in what is seen as another attack on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s administration.  

“It is completely democratic to seek the removal of a leader and bring down a government. In the major democracies, the leader or the government would resign if it is obvious that they no longer had the confidence of the people,” said Dr Mahathir.  

“Elections are meant to ensure that only the best people rule the country. No party should rule forever.”   

Speaking as the keynote speaker at a gathering of international Muslim delegates in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister said it was good for a country to have two large political parties.

“This will ensure that one or the other will win the majority to form the government,” he said. Dr Mahathir said to ensure good governance, the opposition must be really strong and be able to offer alternatives.

The 90-year-old told reporters later that he was not referring to Malaysia in his speech and that he was speaking in the context of Muslim countries worldwide.  

But his comments today (Nov 27), ahead of the annual general assembly of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party next month, come at a sensitive time for Mr Najib.

Dr Mahathir has been a staunch critic of Mr Najib and has repeatedly asked his successor to step down over the latter’s alleged “failure” to govern the country, as well as the more than  RM42 billion (S$13.9 billion) in losses incurred by state investment firm 1MDB. 

In July, The Wall Street Journal alleged that RM2.6 billion was transferred from 1MDB-linked entities to Mr Najib’s personal bank accounts in 2013. Investigations have revealed that the funds were political donations from unnamed Middle East sources.

Mr Najib’s handling of the crisis, especially regarding how he removed his former deputy, Mr Muhyiddin Yassin, in July over the latter’s criticism of 1MDB has sparked unhappiness among the grassroots in several states, including Johor and Penang.

This week, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein admitted that UMNO faces a trust deficit. AGENCIES