Mahathir back in action despite nose bleed
Published on: Wednesday, November 20, 2019
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) has resumed work after his nose started bleeding during a news conference Tuesday, his press secretary said.
Endie Shazlie Akbar also said the 94-year-old was not rushed for medical treatment as believed when the nosebleed happened midway through a press conference at the MPOB International Palm Oil Congress Exhibition here.
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While taking questions from journalists, Dr Mahathir was seen wiping his nose with a white handkerchief. Red stains were spotted on it later. Dr Mahathir’s escorts then interrupted the press conference and ushered the PM out.
Meawhile, Dr Mahathir said he is not sure if Malaysians are prepared for him to step down as prime minister, even as this was suggested as among the reasons for Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) loss in the Tanjung Piai by-election.
“We do not know yet the current situation in the country, whether it is ready for a transition of power or not. When the time comes, we will decide,” he said.
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PKR co-founder Syed Husin Ali had previously asserted that the crushing defeat suffered by PH was an indication of a referendum against Dr Mahathir’s leadership as prime minister.
He claimed that the defeat was a loud and clear message of the voters’ disappointment towards the PH leadership, using the by-election instead to “teach” PH a lesson.
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The former PKR deputy president then suggested that Dr Mahathir step down immediately and take the blame for the embarrassing defeat suffered at the hands of Barisan Nasional.
In Saturday’s final tally, BN trounced PH by a whopping majority of 15,086 votes, its biggest since 2004.
Earlier this month, Dr Mahathir had reiterated that his appointed successor would be Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and he would step down before the next general election.
Among those who said that something drastic needs to be done by Dr Mahathir include Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim, Klang MP Charles Santiago, and Kapar MP Datuk Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid.
PKR’s Hassan urged Dr Mahathir to emulate former British prime minister David Cameron who resigned after failing to prevent the UK from leaving the European Union.
Charles suggested that move to expand khat and jawi lessons to vernacular schools, maintaining draconian laws despite reform promises and the country’s continued sluggish economy after Barisan Nasional was ousted contributed to PH’s defeat.
Abdullah Sani said the PH leadership was currently operating without any clear and solid policies.
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Another PKR MP, Wong Chen, said much of the blame was on Dr Mahathir as the by-election was a referendum of his leadership — a view that has been espoused by Opposition lawmakers who are demanding Parliament be dissolved to pave way for a general election.
The Subang MP also cited the lack of a definite timeline for the transition of power from Dr Mahathir to PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for the current state of Malaysia’s economy and the underperforming ringgit.