At the congress, Anwar took a veiled jab at Mahathir, claiming that Mahathir, who served as prime minister for 22 years under Barisan Nasional and another 22 months when Pakatan Harapan came into power in 2018, had enriched his family during his time in power.

On March 28, Mahathir revealed that his lawyers had demanded that Anwar retract his statement within seven days.

“I don’t want to fight, (Mahathir) asked me to respond, so I will respond. He wants evidence, I will give (evidence), no problem,” Anwar said in a dialogue with students at Universiti Teknologi Mara here today.

A participant had asked Anwar about his next course of action following the letter of demand sent by Mahathir.

Anwar acknowledged that Mahathir had contributed to Malaysia’s development, but maintained that the former prime minister had also done some damage to the country, particularly in creating a negative perception towards the Malays.

“He claimed that Malays are lazy, ungrateful and forgetful. Is it true that this is the Malay culture? The answer is no,” he said.

On Tuesday, Anwar’s lawyers said they will respond to Mahathir’s letter of demand by April 17. DAP’s Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo will act as Anwar’s lead counsel.