Dr Mahathir: I expected Nazri to tell me he was quitting Umno
Mahathir explains the ‘awkward silence’ during the meal he recently shared with his soon-to-be debate opponent.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was silent during the much-publicised meal with Umno minister Nazri Aziz on Saturday because he was expecting Nazri to tell him he was quitting Umno.
“I thought he wanted to ask questions and that he wanted to tell me he wanted to resign from Umno,” Mahathir told reporters after a meeting with Pakatan Harapan leaders at the opposition’s office in Dewan Rakyat.
It is believed Mahathir was referring to Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali’s tweet in February which said there was talk that a senior minister was quitting his post over the 1MDB issue.
The post caused a furore among the media, which were scrambling to uncover the identity of the minister in question.
Prime Minister Najib Razak responded, also via Twitter and Facebook, stating he had not been informed of any such thing and unless Azmin could name the minister, he (Azmin) was lying.
Azmin has stood by his post, saying he had been personally informed by the minister himself.
Meanwhile, Nazri, who is tourism and culture minister, had said the meal with Mahathir had taken place in an “awkward silence” which was due, on his part, to the “respect” for the former PM.
Nazri said that back then, the unspoken rule was “you don’t speak to him unless he speaks to you first”.
The two were spotted at a modest food stall in Kuala Kangsar, where they had cendol and laksa.
Nazri had said one of Mahathir’s aides had attempted to prevent the two from meeting when they first arrived.
Mahathir, when asked if he was excited about the public debate over the 1MDB and Bumiputra Malaysia Finance controversies as well as the Saudi royal family’s RM2.6 billion donation to the prime minister, said: “Of course, I am very excited.”
He added that he had long been prepared for such a debate.
Nazri, who is the Padang Rengas MP, said the debate would be the best avenue to air their respective views.
The debate was originally scheduled to be held at the Mara Junior College hall in Kuala Kangsar on Saturday, but the plan was scrapped after police rejected the application for a permit, saying it was considered school premises.
The debate will now be held on April 7 at the Karangkraf Complex in Section 15, Shah Alam.
Mahathir and Nazri meet over cendol, laksa
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