Mahathir challenges Ambiga to contest in GE13

(Malaysian Digest) – Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad challenged the Coalition for Free and Fair Election (Bersih) to contest in elections. “Bersih had a quarter of a million, much bigger (than before). So I think (Bersih co-chairperson Datuk) Ambiga (Sreenevasan) should form a political party,” he said mockingly, during a press conference at Cyberjaya, Selangor yesterday.

Mahathir had previously criticized the electoral reform rally as a prelude to “violent demonstrations” in the event the opposition fails to win in the next general election.

Meanwhile, he mocked PAS’ rally in Kedah on Saturday, saying that the show of force will not translate into votes, stressing that participants were paid to attend.

“I used to get less than a hundred to attend my talks but I managed to win elections,”

Mahathir, who was once a major force in Kedah Umno, also dubbed the rally as a “mass gathering on hire”.

“Well if you pay people to come they will come, it’s a mass gathering on hire… we will see during the election if that 50,000 (people) translates into support and sends them to Putrajaya,” he said.

Organizers of the Himpunan hijau ke Putrajaya (Green rally to Putrajaya) claimed that 100,000 people attended the rally, which was held two weeks after a similar gathering by Umno at the National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.