“Tun wants to make BR1M a statutory aid! From bribery to statutory aid! Amazing! #U-Turn,” he wrote on Twitter.
But it was Prime Minister Najib Razak who set the tone today, calling Mahathir a “U-turn champion” for saying at a large rally last night that he would institutionalise BR1M, something he had earlier slammed as bribery.
Mahathir had said last night at the official launch of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) with a big rally that the opposition is willing to convert BR1M into a form of statutory aid based on laws and the ordinary budget, and not a special payment listed on any political party’s manifesto.
“The prime minister cannot determine its distribution, the amount, or the way it is handed out,” Mahathir said, also vowing to wipe out GST and replace it with a sales tax.
Today, Najib was reported by Bernama as saying: “Lately, Tun Mahathir had made too many U-turns, so we can consider him a U-turn champion because his action and statement contradicted each other.”
Najib pointed out that on Dec 26, Mahathir made a statement claiming BR1M was a bribe and illegal.
“Within a period of only three weeks, he had changed his stand and made a ‘U-turn’ by stating that if the opposition were to win, it was prepared to consider giving BR1M,” Najib said.
He also said BR1M was not a bribe and was very much like the people’s aid provided by the Selangor and Penang state governments.
He pointed that PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin as well as the party’s deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir, had both supported BR1M when they were leaders in the government.
“It was the same when Mahathir was the prime minister, when he channelled welfare aid and cash payment to the people of Terengganu. In fact, if we look at the PPBM website, they stated that they were willing to help if the people wanted BR1M,” said Najib.
Rahman added later on Twitter that Mahathir’s sudden change of mind may be politically motivated. He said Mahathir knew cash handouts like BR1M were popular and effective.
Meanwhile, Bernama also reported Najib describing Mahathir’s promise to do away with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as “empty talk” to mislead the people.
“He can talk but actually we, as the government, need the revenue. If we do away with the GST, we will lose RM40 billion annually. The question is what other revenue can replace it.
“This was not mentioned by him, so it is merely to mislead the people and play about with sentiments without sticking to the facts,” Najib said.