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Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has hit back at claims made by Datuk Seri Najib Razak, two days after the prime minister went on television to respond directly to his predecessor-turned-nemesis’ criticism.
In a video uploaded on the blog “Din Turtle”, Dr Mahathir refuted Najib’s claims that he was upset with the latter for not building the crooked bridge to Singapore.
He also claimed that Najib had – at the time the crooked bridge from Johor Baru to Singapore was first proposed in 2006 – supported the project.
Dr Mahathir said when Najib took over from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the latter would continue some of the policies they had agreed on when Dr Mahathir was prime minister and Najib was a cabinet member.
“My hope is that when he replaced (Abdullah) he would do the crooked bridge and some other things that we agreed to when I was PM. (That they) will be continued after I resigned and which Abdullah did not do.
“Najib at one time had said if Singapore agrees or does not agree, we will do it… But when he became prime minister, he did not do,” Dr Mahathir said in one of the video clips.
Dr Mahathir said he was disappointed that Najib did not keep his word on the project.
“I did not like the fact that he did not do something he promised. It’s not like I would get a contract for the bridge. You can check and see whether or not I would get a contract.
“I don’t want a contract but my attitude is I do not want to kowtow to Singapore.”
In his television interview on April 9, Najib had said Dr Mahathir wanted the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) scrapped and the “crooked bridge” linking Johor and Singapore to be revived.
He said that these two issues could have been part of the reason the former prime minister was relentless in his criticism.
“He (Dr Mahathir) had two things he wanted me to do. He wanted me to do away with BR1M and revive the Johor crooked bridge. I respect Tun, just like I respect all the people.”
The crooked bridge project involved tearing down Malaysia’s side of the Causeway and replacing it with a six-lane bridge that would connect to the Singapore portion of the border crossing.
The design for it was crooked because Singapore did not agree to demolish its portion of the Causeway so that a straight bridge across the Tebrau strait could be built.
Singapore had strenuously opposed tearing down the Causeway.
Commenting with his trademark sarcasm, Dr Mahathir said: “It’s as if this bridge is not built I will die.”
Dr Mahathir maintained that Malaysia should have gone ahead and built the bridge and castigated Najib for caving in to Singapore’s demands to abandon the project.
“(If) Singapore doesn’t want, I will do on my side because it is our sovereign right in our territorial waters. That half of the Causeway belongs to us.
“So when I find that someone kowtows to Singapore to ask for Singapore’s agreement to do things in our country, I ask where is our sovereignty? Where is our independence?”
In a separate clip, the country’s fourth prime minister repeated his disagreement with BR1M, saying that it was like giving money to people who did not deserve it.
He approved of giving welfare aid to the poor and destitute, but not cash handouts to people with an income.
“I disagree on BR1M because I don’t like feeding people with free money. You give RM500 to people who are earning RM4,000 a month what for?
“And 17,000 Chinese in Ipoh rejected it outright which shows that it is not something that you should do.” – April 12, 2015.
In a video uploaded on the blog “Din Turtle”, Dr Mahathir refuted Najib’s claims that he was upset with the latter for not building the crooked bridge to Singapore.
He also claimed that Najib had – at the time the crooked bridge from Johor Baru to Singapore was first proposed in 2006 – supported the project.
Dr Mahathir said when Najib took over from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the latter would continue some of the policies they had agreed on when Dr Mahathir was prime minister and Najib was a cabinet member.
“My hope is that when he replaced (Abdullah) he would do the crooked bridge and some other things that we agreed to when I was PM. (That they) will be continued after I resigned and which Abdullah did not do.
“Najib at one time had said if Singapore agrees or does not agree, we will do it… But when he became prime minister, he did not do,” Dr Mahathir said in one of the video clips.
Dr Mahathir said he was disappointed that Najib did not keep his word on the project.
“I did not like the fact that he did not do something he promised. It’s not like I would get a contract for the bridge. You can check and see whether or not I would get a contract.
“I don’t want a contract but my attitude is I do not want to kowtow to Singapore.”
In his television interview on April 9, Najib had said Dr Mahathir wanted the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) scrapped and the “crooked bridge” linking Johor and Singapore to be revived.
He said that these two issues could have been part of the reason the former prime minister was relentless in his criticism.
“He (Dr Mahathir) had two things he wanted me to do. He wanted me to do away with BR1M and revive the Johor crooked bridge. I respect Tun, just like I respect all the people.”
The crooked bridge project involved tearing down Malaysia’s side of the Causeway and replacing it with a six-lane bridge that would connect to the Singapore portion of the border crossing.
The design for it was crooked because Singapore did not agree to demolish its portion of the Causeway so that a straight bridge across the Tebrau strait could be built.
Singapore had strenuously opposed tearing down the Causeway.
Commenting with his trademark sarcasm, Dr Mahathir said: “It’s as if this bridge is not built I will die.”
Dr Mahathir maintained that Malaysia should have gone ahead and built the bridge and castigated Najib for caving in to Singapore’s demands to abandon the project.
“(If) Singapore doesn’t want, I will do on my side because it is our sovereign right in our territorial waters. That half of the Causeway belongs to us.
“So when I find that someone kowtows to Singapore to ask for Singapore’s agreement to do things in our country, I ask where is our sovereignty? Where is our independence?”
In a separate clip, the country’s fourth prime minister repeated his disagreement with BR1M, saying that it was like giving money to people who did not deserve it.
He approved of giving welfare aid to the poor and destitute, but not cash handouts to people with an income.
“I disagree on BR1M because I don’t like feeding people with free money. You give RM500 to people who are earning RM4,000 a month what for?
“And 17,000 Chinese in Ipoh rejected it outright which shows that it is not something that you should do.” – April 12, 2015.
