SHAH ALAM - Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has thrown down the gauntlet to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, urging him to call for a general election to validate his support among Malaysians.
Dr Mahathir accused Anwar of misusing his authority by involving the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in probing political adversaries and further alleged that Anwar has been manipulating the judiciary to help his allies evade charges.
He asserted that such practices never occurred during his more than two decades in power.
"I was once the prime minister, but things like this never happened.
"I won with a two-thirds majority, and the people had the chance to vote me out, but they didn't.
"If I had abused my position, I wouldn't have lost any elections.
"I challenge Anwar to call for a general-election today, to see if he is bold enough to face the people's judgment," Dr Mahathir declared during a press conference at Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana in Putrajaya.
Anwar assumed the role of Malaysia's 10th prime minister following the 15th general election, which resulted in a hung Parliament.
Securing the majority support needed to form the government, Anwar garnered backing from MPs representing various factions, including Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, Warisan, and others.
To this, Dr Mahathir took a dig at Anwar, highlighting that political leaders typically ascend to the position of prime minister and establish governments by winning elections, in contrast to Anwar's electoral outcome.
"...but he lost," Mahathir said.
In the 15th general election, Dr Mahathir contested the Langkawi seat but, like 369 other candidates, forfeited his deposit after receiving less than one-eighth of the votes.