The revelation was made by the former prime minister himself at an event in Sekinchan this morning.
Speaking at the event “Majlis Peduli Rakyat” organised by a group of former Umno branch chiefs, Gabungan Ketua Cawangan Malaysia (GKCM), Mahathir said that Prime Minister Najib Razak only wants praises and will do anything to stop dissent.
“He wants to shut the mouths and ears of people and even tries to silence the foreign press, though that is a little harder to do,” Mahathir said.
Mahathir was originally scheduled to be the guest on veteran comedian Harith’s talk show tomorrow. A photo had also been shared a few days ago on Facebook, showing the former prime minister in the driving seat of a Proton as Harith sits next to him.
“I was to be on stage with Harith to share lighthearted stories and other amusing topics because that is the whole point of the show. He is a comedian after all, not a politician.
“But suddenly, he was ordered to cancel the episode because of my appearance. That is Najib’s way,” Mahathir said.
Harith’s talk show has featured high profile guests in its previous three episodes.
The debut episode on May 28 had a memorable appearance by AirAsia Group Chief Executive Tony Fernandes. Harith, who is also called the Godfather of Malaysian stand-up comedy, got Fernandes to do push-ups on stage with him.
The following week, CIMB Group Chairman Nazir Razak was coaxed by Harith to do a song trivia quiz and last Saturday former Wanita Umno chief Rafidah Aziz made her guest appearance on OHI.
A check on the OHI Facebook page now highlights a promo ad for what could be seen as a makeshift episode on the ongoing Euro2016 football tournament.
It will air tomorrow with guests who are regular Astro Supersports pundits, namely Stanley Bernard and Alistair Edwards, with legendary Santokh Singh adding some local football glamour to the show.
Harith has been very frank in his “grilling” of guests, including asking Fernandes about the controversy over his spat last month with Wee Choo Keong, the chairman of the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board.
However, the overall feel has been to keep the conversation with his guests always lighthearted.
It cannot be confirmed if the cancellation was also due to Harith’s sympathetic views towards the former prime minister after the latter’s sacking as Petronas adviser in March.
A Facebook posting by Harith on March 12, referring to a story on Star Online, reads as follows:
“This photo of a 90-year old man working at a desk on the 86th floor of a world renowned iconic building that he conceived and created strikes me as being extremely poignant.
“After spending almost every hour of his entire adult life building the country, he is now turned on by those who used to revere him.
“I can understand the decision … but it’s still sad.”