He criticised the government for allegedly not allowing the event to proceed, saying that the Malays have the right to gather and have their voices heard.
“This government is a dictatorship. It doesn’t allow the people to voice their opinions or criticise it.
“But when they were in opposition, they held demonstrations every week,” he said at a press conference.
He added that he may have been called a dictator as well in the past, but asked: “Which dictator would resign (on his own accord)?”
He was referring to when he stepped down as prime minister in 2003 and again in 2020.
Yesterday, it was reported that the organiser decided to postpone the event after two venues booked for the event cancelled them. It was expecting at least 300 people to turn up for the gathering.
Mahathir questioned why the government was so afraid of the Malays to the extent that it wouldn’t let them gather, adding that all candidates who contested in the 15th general election under Pejuang’s banner suffered a terrible loss.
Mahathir also said the Malays, while under British rule, were afforded more rights in speaking up, gathering and forming political parties.
“This government is led by a Malay but it is silencing the Malays,” he said, referring to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the rift between the different races would continue to widen as the government prioritised multi-racialism, which he described as “similar to racism”.
“They’re focused on oppressing the Malays,” he said.
Asked if he knew who directed the venues to cancel the event, Mahathir said he had no proof but was convinced Anwar was behind it because “nothing like this can be done without his consent or directive”.
Yesterday, Anwar took a veiled jab at Mahathir, saying the latter only complained about Malays losing their dominance after he was no longer in power.
While Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairman, did not mention the former prime minister by name, he alluded to the time when Mahathir led the government.
In response, Mahathir said he had been speaking up about Malay rights, Islam as well as the Quran for 80 years.
“Even when I was sacked from Umno, everyone knew that I still fought for the Malays. Only the deaf would make such claims,” he said.