KUALA LUMPUR — Suggestions for both Prime Minister Najib Razak and former leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad to meet and iron out their differences have yet to bear fruit as both are “great men” with strong views on how to take Malaysia forward, Mr Nur Jazlan Mohamed said today (April 2).

The Umno lawmaker was weighing in on Dr Mahathir’s strongly-worded comments in his blog for the Barisan Nasional (BN) government now helmed by Mr Najib, with a warning that the coalition could lose voter support at the next general elections unless it dealt directly with current controversies, including the debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

“Both are great men with different opinions on where the country should be heading, so whether they can meet in between or not is up to them,” the Pulai Member of Parliament told reporters in Parliament here in response to a suggestion for the duo to resolve their differences behind closed doors.

“That’s why any suggestion of discussion between the two of them, compromise, has not borne any results yet, because Dr Mahathir still thinks the country is heading in the wrong direction,” he added.

Mr Nur Jazlan noted that the 89-year-old, who was prime minister of 22 years, had been critical of the current administration for some time.

He also played down Dr Mahathir’s claims of eroding support for Mr Najib, saying the elder politician’s remarks were only his “opinion”.

Mr Nur Jazlan said that support for Mr Najib within Umno and the 13-party BN remained strong.

An avid blogger, Dr Mahathir suggested that BN could end up losing power in the next general election because of falling confidence in the current administration.

He also expressed disappointment at the government’s response to the allegations surrounding 1MDB and businessman Low Taek Jho’s alleged involvement. MALAY MAIL ONLINE