But he refuses to be drawn in on criticism of his memoirs

Critics, including senior Malaysian politicians, have attacked Dr Mahathir’s memoirs as giving a ‘whitewashed’ version of history.

PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

CYBERJAYA – FORMER Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad yesterday admitted that he may have forgotten some details about the past, after his recently launched memoirs drew criticism for containing discrepancies.

Some readers had raised an issue over Tun Dr Mahathir’s description of his first visit as Malaysia’s premier to Singapore in 1981. In his book, Dr Mahathir described feeling ‘sorely used’ when he was not properly greeted at the Prime Minister’s Office.

He also said that there was no state dinner for him, and that when he visited former president Benjamin Sheares – his professor in medical college – they spoke for 20 minutes before an aide said the president had another appointment.

But Dr Sheares died in May 1981, seven months before Dr Mahathir’s visit in December.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir clarified that he had met Dr Sheares in another meeting, before his official visit to Singapore. But he did not comment on the other details.�

‘People do forget things, you know,’ he said at a press conference on the launch of a ‘green’ building.