Anwar calls out Dr M over Malay dominance gripe

(FMT) – Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has taken a veiled jab at Dr Mahathir Mohamad saying the latter only complained about Malays losing their dominance after he was no longer in power.

While Anwar, who is also Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, did not mention the former prime minister by name, he alluded to the time when Mahathir led the government.

“There are people, who had been in power for 22 years and (later) an additional 22 months,” Anwar said of Mahathir’s two stints as prime minister.

“Now that he has lost power he is whining that Malays have lost everything,” he said when officiating the PKR congress here.

Anwar went on to claim that Mahathir had enriched his family and himself when he was in power but only now wants to speak on behalf of the rakyat, when he no longer holds such power.

“Please don’t try to hoodwink the public by saying they should rise and fight for their rights,” he said.

Earlier this month, Mahathir claimed that the Malays no longer dominated the economy, and that “others” had taken over.

He also said that Malays were also taking a back seat in politics and predicted a bleak future for Malaysia as long as the Malays were not the dominant force.

In February, Mahathir expressed fears of a government push for changes in electoral boundaries that could result in the number of Malay-majority seats being reduced.