GE15: "I want him to retire but if he becomes PM again, one year is enough" - Tun Dr Siti Hasmah

Focus

By HAJAR UMIRA MD ZAKI

17 Oct 2022 03:56pm

“But whether he’s going to stand as prime minister again is something that he has to think about,” remarked Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali about her husband decision to contest in the coming 15th General Election during an interview at the Sinar Harian's Mak Untuk Malaysia (Mum) at Sinar Karangkraf here.- Photo by Zuhra Zulkifli

SHAH ALAM - If she could have it her way, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali would very much prefer for her husband -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad -- to retire from politics.

But she knew that the 97-year old Kedahan who became prime minister twice -- from July 1981 to October 2003 and later on from May 2018 to March 2020 -- still had so much to give to the people.

“If the people requires him, he has always said that he will stand as the member of parliament for Langkawi; and he is indeed going to contest for the seat.

“But whether he’s going to stand as prime minister again is something that he has to think about,” she remarked during an interview at the Sinar Harian's Mak Untuk Malaysia (Mum) at Sinar Karangkraf here.

However, in the event that Dr Mahathir was to be prime minister for the third time, she insisted that "one year is enough."

"I am the one who has take care of him. I tend to him when he returns home and see things many could not.

"So I am asking the people of Malaysia to help me take care of my husband too," she implored.

Her plea stemmed from her worriness of his health.

Participating in electoral bouts is not walk in the park, she added, especially when attending the night-time hustings.

“He should only go to the capital of the state and it's easier for everyone to gather there. These roadshows and campaigns are always done at night so it's very worrying.

“So I ask that they arrange once he arrives, let him rest a little bit first rather than straight away attending the gathering,” said Dr Siti Hasmah.

Despite his age, Dr Mahathir is still passionate about politics.

"It has been going on ever since he was a school boy," she quipped.

And while her husband detractors have labelled as untrusworthy, Dr Siti Hasmah maintained that her husband's principles have never wavered.

“His principle has not changed, he wants to help the Malays, his own constituency and he wants to see that his country is stable and belongs to us.

"To see that his race, the Malays; to doing well and not poor as they are now,” she added.