KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Former two-time prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he won’t hold back from speaking about race, religion and royalty no matter how many times the police investigate him.
The 98-year-old insisted that the government ban against the three topics – dubbed 3R – is unconstitutional, Berita Harian reported last night.
“If you want to investigate, just do it... this is the ninth time I have been called in. After this, 10, 11 times... it doesn’t matter, we will count how many times we have been called,” he was quoted as saying in a ceramah at the Bakri PAS headquarters in Johor while stumping for Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the Simpang Jeram by-election.
Dr Mahathir reportedly went on to say that he had read the Federal Constitution multiple times and had not found anything allowing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to make laws, adding that he will answer in court if he had made any inaccurate claims.
“He wants to shut our mouths for speaking on 3R issues, what is his right? But I know he can instruct the police to question me,” Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying about Anwar.
“I know what I said here will be noted by certain parties... I will get called (by the police) again. If you ask why I speak like this, my answer is simple... if I am wrong, charge me in court.”
He also reportedly claimed that he had been told a law exists through which he can be arrested without being taken to court.
Last month, Dr Mahathir accused the government and the police of selective enforcement for questioning him over his comments about the non-Malay communities in the country.
He alleged that the police questioning was a form of intimidation to deter him and others from repeating his claim that “Malaysia is a Malay country.”
Dr Mahathir also added that if Malays in the country were not allowed to talk about the problem faced by them then there is no point in having elections and practising a democratic system.
