Despite his latest rage against the Barisan Nasional (BN), Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is unlikely to sway the results of the next general elections, the chairman of the ruling coalition’s backbenchers’ club said today.
To support his claim, Tan Sri Shahrir Samad pointed that the former prime minister-turned-government critic had mounted a campaign against his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2008 but the BN had remained victorious.
In contrast, Shahrir said Dr Mahathir had returned to bat for BN in the Election 2013, but the results showed reduced support for the coalition even though it won the votes.
“Well, he was critical of Abdullah Badawi in 2008 and then the BN support reduced.
“When in 2013, he was on the side of BN but still the support reduced. So, do you think he is relevant?” he posed to reporters when asked if the latest attacks from Dr Mahathir against the Najib administration would affect BN’s support in the next elections.
Asked to elaborate, Shahrir said “the facts were clear”, adding that Dr Mahathir would not have any effect on BN’s run in the next polls that must be called by 2018 as there was still time to regain lost voter support.
“There is no problem in that, there is still time. We are confident of our own constituencies, we can still win it,” the Johor Baru MP said.
The former minister also reiterated today that none of the lawmakers from the BN Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) was involved in any move to topple their own government as alleged by some blogs.
Shahrir urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to take stern action on those spreading such false rumours about the ruling coalition.
“We feel disappointed with such rumours being spread about us. We want SKMM to take strict action on those false stories as it involves MPs,” he said, using the Malay abbreviation for the internet regulator.
“There is no truth to that,BN is not at all involved,” he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi last weekend revealed that there was a plot made by an ‘Umno leader’ to obtain a Statutory Deceleration (SD) from MPs to have a vote of no confidence on Najib.
BNBBC earlier today denied knowing of such a plot and in the press conference earlier asked for the question to instead be posed to Zahid for more clarification.
(Malay Mail Online)
