Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the timing of the latest post in Mahathir’s blog, speaking of comparisons between the Najib administration and the Nazi regime, was especially disgusting and offensive in light of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s current visit to Germany.
“Dr Mahathir has now reached a new low. Not just by comparing our Prime Minister and others in the Government to Nazis, but by doing so while the Prime Minister was in Germany.
“It is wrong to run down a country and dredge up its painful history just for the sake of scoring selfish political points,” Rahman said in a statement released today.
On his blog yesterday, Mahathir had called BN leaders, pro-BN bloggers and the mainstream media – namely TV3, New Straits Times and Utusan Malaysia – “little Goebbels”.
Joseph Goebbels was one of Adolf Hitler’s close associates and most devoted follower, and was known for his public speaking skills in Germany under Nazi rule. In 1933, Goebbels became Hitler’s propaganda minister.
Mahathir had accused these “little Goebbels” of trying to repair the prime minister’s image in the wake of various allegations over the 1MDB scandal.
Rahman, who is also Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications Director, said Mahathir had reached a new low.
“It is embarrassing to see a former prime minister destroy his legacy and reveal himself to be a bitter, vindictive old man,” he said, suggesting that Mahathir was embarrassed that his plans to bring down Najib had failed.
“The gutter is no place for prime ministers – past or present. It is sad that Dr Mahathir seems to be so comfortable there. Fortunately for Malaysia, Dr Mahathir is no longer our leader,” Rahman added.