The former prime minister had his statement taken by the police today after numerous reports were lodged over his recent interview with a Tamil news channel, in which he claimed that the Chinese and Indians in Malaysia were still identifying themselves with their countries of origin and were not loyal to Malaysia.
In the Jan 13 interview with Chennai-based Thanthi TV, he also called Chinese and Indians “migrants” and said they should assimilate with Malay culture and “become Malay”, going on to criticise the communities for not speaking Bahasa Melayu and having their own schools.
Speaking to reporters after being questioned by the police, Mahathir said they asked him 19 questions and made him watch the recording of the 30-minute interview.
“I watched the recording … I didn’t see what I did wrong,” he said.
“I have the right to my own views and beliefs, but it seems like that’s wrong,” he said.
The 98-year-old said he told the police he would answer any additional questions about the matter in court.
Several police reports have been lodged against the former Langkawi MP over his comments, including from Hulu Langat PAS’s non-Muslim wing.
Perikatan Nasional component Gerakan has also condemned Mahathir over his remarks, with Gerakan president Dominic Lau stating that the majority of the coalition’s leaders at a PN Supreme Council meeting chaired by Muhyiddin Yassin last week shared similar sentiments.
Saying he was not complaining about being investigated, Mahathir – who described himself as a “law-abiding citizen” during the press conference – questioned why other politicians who touched on race, religion and royalty (3R) were not subject to similar probes.
Mahathir cited how in the lead-up to the six state elections last August, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng had claimed that PN would destroy Buddhist or Chinese temples in Penang if the coalition were to come to power in the state.
“This is not true. The biggest (reclining) statue of Buddha in Malaysia is in Kelantan, so it’s obvious that PAS won’t demolish temples if they rule (a state),” said Mahathir.
“That’s a very racist view, but I don’t know if he was investigated by the police or not.”
Bukit Aman previously said it had launched an investigation into Lim, who had denied making the claim.
The Bagan MP previously said his speech, which was made in Mandarin, was misinterpreted and that he was merely “referring” to the demolition of a Hindu temple in Alor Setar, Kedah, in 2020.
We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram