In a post on X today, Zaid criticised government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for their “obsession with Dr M”.

“According to Fahmi, you can’t compare the state of freedom under Dr M with the present Madani government.

“Yes, it is different in many ways. When Dr M curbed freedom of speech, he usually had good reasons to do so.

“When the present government curbed freedom (of speech), they wanted to look good and were unable to accept criticisms,” he said.

Yesterday, Fahmi reportedly hit out at Mahathir for his claims that the government is curtailing freedom of speech.

“He can still speak up. No one is stopping him from doing so. He can attend any event and move freely.

“There is a big difference between now and then. In the past, newspapers were shut down and people who demonstrated (in the streets) were beaten and jailed.

“That was during Tun’s time, not now,” he said.

However, Zaid said Mahathir’s administration was “so long ago”, and urged Anwar to focus on current times.

“It’s not good for the government to compare itself with a leader of 20 years ago, especially when he was the one who brought Pakatan Harapan to power.

“If comparing oneself is so essential for a good night’s sleep, try (Chinese president) Xi Jinping, (Indian prime minister Narendra) Modi or (Saudi prime minister) Mohammed bin Salman. These are leaders who transformed (their nations),” he said.