PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia has numerous prominent Asean figures who could be appointed to the informal advisory group for the Asean-Malaysia 2025 chairmanship, rather than former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, however, acknowledged that the decision to make such appointments lies with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
"That’s his (Anwar's) matter to decide. I don’t know why Thaksin was chosen.
"Thaksin has his own issues, but I won’t comment further. It’s Anwar’s prerogative to choose whoever he wants," he said.
Dr Mahathir said these when speaking to reporters after attending the flag-off ceremony for the post-flood humanitarian mission convoy at the Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana on Tuesday.
Anwar had previously emphasised that Malaysia required a statesman like Thaksin to provide expertise and insights to the Asean Chair on regional matters.
Thaksin, now 75, was overthrown in a military coup in 2006 after facing allegations of corruption and abuse of power.
In 2008, he fled Thailand to avoid serving a prison sentence after being convicted.
In August 2023, Thaksin returned to Thailand after 15 years in exile. He was arrested and sentenced to eight years in prison, though a royal pardon later reduced his sentence to one year.