Kuala Lumpur: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has defended two statements he made on Facebook last month, which he says are based on facts and the Federal Constitution.
Mahathir was called by the police to give a statement today in connection with an ongoing investigation, and it is understood the police recorded his statement following the lodging of two reports over Facebook posts he made on July 27.
“Those posts were based on the Federal Constitution, which states that Malaysia is Tanah Melayu (land of the Malays),” he said at a press conference at Yayasan Albukhary here.
“When asked (by the police) why I said that, I replied that I would answer in court if I am charged.
“When I talk about ‘Tanah Melayu’, this is considered racist. So I can’t talk about the (Federal) Constitution.”
Claiming that there is a “double standard” in the case’s investigation, he went on to allege that the government is inconsistent with its implementation of the law.
On July 27, Mahathir published two Facebook posts, with one asserting that Malaysia should be recognised primarily as a Malay country rather than a multiracial one.
In the second post, Mahathir questioned whether Malaysia has been colonised by migrants and their descendants.
