Referring to the current opposition leader’s 22 years as head of the Barisan Nasional government, between 1981 and 2003, as well as his age, Razaleigh said only time would tell whether Mahathir would usher in the rebirth of Mahathirism.
“Can a leopard change his spots? Maybe he can, we don’t know,” said the Gua Musang MP, popularly known as Ku Li, at a press conference at the Ideal Convention Centre (IDCC) here today.
Razaleigh said even if Pakatan Harapan were to come into power by winning the next general election (GE14), there was no way of guaranteeing that Mahathir would become the next prime minister.
“Pakatan may have agreed but it’s made up of four parties. If Mahathir’s party wins the most number of seats then perhaps they could nominate him.
“But even then, the Agong also plays a role in using his best judgement to pick the person who will become prime minister.”
Asked about the police questioning Mahathir’s wife, Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali over her participation at a rally in September last year, Razaleigh said it would only serve to further hurt the ruling party’s image.
“There’s no benefit at all. Going after Siti Hasmah is going to create more stories for people to use against the ruling government and give minuses to the ruling party.”