The former prime minister said the nation had lost a great leader following the passing today of the former minister, whom he said supported “my efforts to overthrow Prime Minister Najib Razak”.
“As usual, as a politician he had a lot of enemies and equally lots of friends,” Mahathir, 93, said in a statement posted on Twitter and Facebook.
“He was also among the best read persons I have ever known. Sanusi had a huge library of his own and had lots of books on politics and economy.
“From these books he contributed solutions and ideas to the many problems faced by the nation, and his patriotism cannot be challenged.”
The PPBM chairman said he had known Sanusi even before he became a minister in 1974.
He added that he appointed Sanusi in his cabinet after he got the opportunity upon becoming prime minister in 1981.
“He was very innovative and had many ideas on agriculture for example. I always got on well with him and have a great deal of respect for his ideas,” Mahathir said.
Sanusi, who was 74, served as national and rural development minister from 1981 to 1986, and agriculture minister from 1986 to 1995. He was later appointed Kedah menteri besar from 1996 to 1999.
Mahathir said Sanusi also introduced many ideas as menteri besar of the state where both of them were born.
About Sanusi’s role in PPBM, Mahathir said he was made chairman of PPBM’s disciplinary board.
“I worked closely with him and he was very supportive of my efforts to overthrow Prime Minister Najib Razak.
“He set up a good panel and went about his job intelligently,” Mahathir said.
However, according to Mahathir, despite being one of the early members of PPBM, Sanusi could not be as active as he wanted to be due to ill health.
“I am saddened by his passing. I pray to Allah he will rest in peace in the hereafter,” he said.
Sanusi Junid, man of ideas and young coconuts promoter, laid to rest