Agong questioned the 1.4mil signatures, says Raja Petra
Malaysia Today blogger says Mahathir’s audience with Tuanku Abdul Halim at Istana Anak Bukit was “a disaster.”
(FMT) – Dr Mahathir Mohamad is reported to have been left fumbling for an answer when questioned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong about the purported 1.4 million signatures on the Citizens’ Declaration against Prime Minister Najib Razak.
In an article at Malaysia Today, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin said Mahathir’s audience with Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah on Friday had been “a disaster.”
Raja Petra said that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had asked about the authenticity of the purported 1.4 million signatures on the Declaration, which petitions the Rulers’ Conference for action to remove the prime minister.
Tuanku Abdul Halim had also made a point of asking Mahathir about his widely-publicised claim that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had been “kept under house arrest” by the Federal Government, after he had previously failed to obtain an audience at Istana Negara.
The audience with Tuanku Abdul Halim on Thursday afternoon was at Istana Anak Bukit, the home palace of the Sultan of Kedah. Tuanku Abdul Halim is performing his second tour of duty as 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, whose seat is Istana Negara.
The Citizens’ Declaration was launched by Mahathir in March, with support from some Opposition politicians and a few civil society activists. The bulk of the declaration comprises allegations against Najib and 1Malaysia Development Berhad. It also includes a call for political reforms.
Raja Petra said Tuanku Abdul Halim had asked whether Mahathir could guarantee that all the signatures were genuine. “Mahathir was clearly not prepared for this,” Raja Petra wrote, and said the former premier was “quite stunned.”
He said Mahathir replied merely that the documents were what had been given to him, to which Tuanku Halim “just gave a wry smile.”
