The former prime minister said debates would only “make the situation worse” as Malaysians were far too sentimental and emotional to appreciate arguments that were presented rationally.
“The Malaysian public is not yet that mature. This is not America. And even in America, the debates all expose how stupid the candidates are, that’s all,” he told reporters at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here.
Dr Mahathir added that there was no need for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to debate Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as “there was nothing to debate with him (over)”.
The Umno veteran described his former protégé as “chameleon” who would only say what people wanted to hear in the latter’s quest to be prime minister.
“He is everything to everybody,” he scoffed. “He changes colour every time. When he is with the Chinese, he condemns the NEP. When he is with the Indians, he is Indian. When he is with Muslims, he will give talks about Islam.”
The Perkasa patron had earlier held a closed-door discussion with the Malay rights group here on issues affecting the community.
When asked to comment on the talks, Dr Mahathir lamented that the Malays had to resort to private meetings to discuss matters concerning the community or risk being labelled as racists for speaking more openly.
“So we have to meet in seclusion, almost secretly, to talk about our problems. This very unfortunate in a country that talks about freedom of speech; we cannot talk about ourselves because it is racist.”
“People say there’s freedom to speak now but we can’t talk about one subject, and that is the Malays,” he said.
Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali said in a separate press conference here later that it was crucial to tackle problems faced by the Malays to ensure the continued stability of the country.
According to him, the Malays must close ranks as the unity of Malaysia’s largest ethnic group was the backbone of national unity.
“In the long term, this is what the other races should keep in mind. They may achieve their demands and whatever they want, but later, in 10 or 15 years, if the economic disparity widens and the Malays are not happy, we cannot assure the security of the country.
“So that’s why when Perkasa resolves certain issues for the good of the Malays, it is also good for the other races. When the Malays are happy, definitely it will contribute to the happiness of society,” he said.
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