Articles by "Mahathir Mohamad"
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Hello Jammu News at 5:47:00 PM 0
Kuala Lumpur, Jun 25 : Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday he wants to renegotiate a "ridiculous" water supply agreement with Singapore, the latest sign of fraying ties between the neighbours since last month's shock election.

The 92-year-old returned for a second time as premier after his opposition alliance scored an unexpected victory at the polls, toppling a long-ruling coalition that Mahathir himself once headed.

During his first stint in charge of the country from 1981-2003, Malaysia had famously stormy ties with Singapore - and Mahathir has wasted no time in taking aim at the tiny city-state again.

In his latest salvo, he said it was "manifestly ridiculous" that Kuala Lumpur sells water for three Malaysian cents (less than one US cent) per thousand gallons to its resource-poor neighbour.

"That was okay way back in the 1990s or 1930s. But now what can you buy with three sen (cents)? Nothing," he told Singapore broadcaster Channel NewsAsia in an interview.

Asked about plans to renegotiate the long-standing water supply agreement, he said: "We are studying the case properly and we'll make a presentation." The Singapore government did not immediately respond to requests to comment.

A large amount of Singapore's water comes from Malaysia's southern state of Johor. Under a 1962 agreement, Singapore can draw up to 250 million gallons of water per day from the Johor River.

The neighbours have had a difficult relationship since Singapore was expelled from the Malaysian Federation in 1965 over ethnic issues after a short-lived, stormy union.

Relations in subsequent decades were punctuated by occasional bickering, on many occasions over the water supply issue, but were largely warm under the last Malaysian government, led by scandal-mired Najib Razak.

However ties already look rocky since Mahathir's return to office.

In just a few weeks, he has put a planned high-speed rail line linking Kuala Lumpur to Singapore on hold, and announced that Malaysia wants to develop an island on rocks at the entrance to the Singapore Strait, an area of great strategic importance to the city-state.  AFP
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Hello Jammu News at 6:31:00 PM 0

TOKYO, May 15: Newly elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday that he may remain premier for one or two years and would play a role in the background even after he steps down.
Mahathir, whose coalition won a shock victory over former leader Najib Razak, also said reformist politician Anwar Ibrahim would be released from jail on Wednesday. He added that Anwar would play the same role in the coalition as leaders of the other three parties in the alliance, except Mahathir himself as prime minister.
Mahathir was speaking by live video link from Kuala Lumpur to a Wall Street Journal conference in Tokyo. REUTERS
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Hello Jammu News at 2:41:00 PM 0




KUALA LUMPUR, May 14 :  Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Monday he would appoint a new chief of the country's anti-graft agency and that all alleged crimes committed by previous government would be investigated.
Addressing a news conference, the 92-year-old Mahathir said all government ministries had been instructed that no documents could be taken out or destroyed. REUTERS

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Hello Jammu News at 4:44:00 PM 0

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10: Mahathir Mohamad, who pulled off a stunning general election win, will not be sworn in as the new prime minister of Malaysia on Thursday, a spokesman for the King's palace said, but gave no reason for the change in schedule.
Mahathir had said shortly after declaring victory that the King would sign his letter of appointment as prime minister of Malaysia's constitutional monarchy during a ceremony at the royal palace in the capital, Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
But palace authorities said there would be no such event and a spokesman for Mahathir, the 92-yer-old veteran former prime minister, said he had not heard from the palace and had no plan to go there.
Mahathir's opposition alliance won the simple majority it required to form a new government in Wednesday's polls, a stunning result that will end six decades of rule by a coalition he once led.
Malaysians celebrated Mahathir's unexpected victory over Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose popularity had plunged over rising living costs and in the wake of a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal at 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Mahathir led the Southeast Asian nation for 22 years and his unexpected return to the prime ministership ends the previously unbroken rule of Barisan Nasional (BN), the coalition that had governed Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957.
"We are not seeking revenge ... what we want is to restore the rule of law," Mahathir said of Najib's scandal-plagued rule.
Mahathir appeared jubilant and sprightly at a news conference claiming victory overnight.
Najib began an address to media in the late morning. A member of his cabinet said they would accept the will of the people.
The stunning election outcome was expected to ruffle financial markets that were expecting a comfortable win for Najib and the BN.
Malaysia's currency weakened in offshore trading on Thursday, with the ringgit one-month non-deliverable forward falling 1.7 pct. The U.S.-traded iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF fell 6 percent.
The national stock market was closed on Thursday and Friday after Mahathir declared a public holiday, but the ringgit currency weakened in offshore trading.
Mahathir's alliance, which counts on urban votes and support from the minority ethnic Chinese and Indian communities, had hoped the veteran Malay leader would win over voters usually loyal to BN. That strategy appeared to have paid off.
Official results showed that Mahathir's Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) won 113 of parliament's 222 seats, clinching the simple majority required to rule. Najib's BN coalition only managed 79 seats.
Mahathir has promised to reverse a goods and services tax (GST) introduced by Najib during his first 100 days in power and review foreign investments.
Global ratings agency Moody's said some of his campaign promises, including the GST and a reintroduction of fuel subsidies, could be credit negative for Malaysia's sovereign debt rating.
Mahathir was once Najib's mentor but they clashed after differences over the 1MDB graft scandal, in which billions of dollars were allegedly siphoned off to foreign countries.
The scandal is being investigated by at least six countries, although Malaysia's attorney general cleared Najib of any wrongdoing.
Mahathir vowed to investigate the scandal if elected and to bring the funds back to Malaysia.
Asked on Thursday if Najib would be prosecuted, Mahathir said: "If anybody breaks the law, and that includes a journalist, they will be brought before the court."
Mahathir must now manage a fractious alliance of four parties and make way for jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to become the next prime minister, another former protege with whom he split acrimoniously before reuniting to topple Najib.
"I have to manage presidents of four different parties. It's going to be a headache," Mahathir told reporters. REUTERS
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Hello Jammu News at 2:20:00 PM 0


KUALA LUMPUR, May 10: Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad will be sworn in as the world's oldest elected leader on Thursday after his opposition alliance pulled off a stunning election win, ending six decades of rule by a coalition he once led.
Malaysians celebrated the 92-year-old's unexpected victory over Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose popularity had plunged over rising living costs and in the wake of a multi-billion-dollar graft scandal at 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Mahathir led the Southeast Asian nation for 22 years and his unexpected return to the prime ministership ends the previously unbroken rule of Barisan Nasional (BN), the coalition that had governed Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957.
"We are not seeking revenge ... what we want is to restore the rule of law," Mahathir said of Najib's scandal-plagued rule.
Mahathir appeared jubilant and sprightly at a news conference claiming victory overnight, even joking with reporters, and will have an audience with Malaysia's king later on Thursday.
The king will sign his letter of appointment as prime minister of Malaysia's constitutional monarchy during a ceremony at the royal palace in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Najib is also expected to address the media at 9.45 a.m. local time (0145 GMT). He has not spoken publicly since the results were declared but a member of his Cabinet said they would accept the will of the people.
The stunning election outcome was expected to ruffle financial markets that were expecting a comfortable win for Najib and the BN.
Malaysia's currency weakened in offshore trading on Thursday, with the ringgit one-month non-deliverable forward falling 1.7 pct. The U.S.-traded iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF fell 6 percent.
The national stock market will be closed on Thursday and Friday after Mahathir declared a public holiday, but the ringgit currency weakened in offshore trading.
Mahathir's alliance, which counts on urban votes and support from the minority ethnic Chinese and Indian communities, had hoped the veteran Malay leader would win over voters usually loyal to BN. That strategy appeared to have paid off.
Official results showed that Mahathir's Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) won 113 of parliament's 222 seats, clinching the simple majority required to rule. Najib's BN coalition only managed 79 seats.
Mahathir has promised to reverse a goods and services tax (GST) introduced by Najib during his first 100 days in power and review foreign investments.
Global ratings agency Moody's said some of his campaign promises, including the GST and a reintroduction of fuel subsidies, could be credit negative for Malaysia's sovereign debt rating.
Mahathir was once Najib's mentor but they clashed after differences over the 1MDB graft scandal, in which billions of dollars were allegedly siphoned off to foreign countries.
The scandal is being investigated by at least six countries, although Malaysia's attorney general cleared Najib of any wrongdoing.
Mahathir vowed to investigate the scandal if elected and to bring the funds back to Malaysia.
Asked on Thursday if Najib would be prosecuted, Mahathir said: "If anybody breaks the law, and that includes a journalist, they will be brought before the court."
Mahathir must now manage a fractious alliance of four parties and make way for jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to become the next prime minister, another former protege with whom he split acrimoniously before reuniting to topple Najib.
"I have to manage presidents of four different parties. It's going to be a headache," Mahathir told reporters. REUTERS
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