The Umno grassroots movement has given Dr Mahathir Mohamad a week to apologise for his remarks concerning Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his late father Abdul Razak Hussein during a speech in Sarawak over the weekend.
Failing which, the movement’s chairperson Zulkarnain Mahdar said, a police report would be lodged against the former prime minister on grounds of slander and incitement.
The movement was responding to Mahathir blaming Najib and his father, who was the second prime minister, for the erosion of rights in Sarawak.
Challenging Mahathir to back his claim with evidence, Zulkarnain pointed out that Najib was the only prime minister who suggested the formation of a special committee to study the rights of the people of Sabah and Sarawak based on the Malaysia Agreement of 1963.
One of the first lessons in PR is that it is best not to go round repeating accusations that make you look bad. It only gives the matter more publicity.
In the world of politics Dr Mahathir is entitled to say he believes blame and responsibility for this or that lies with whoever. People may or may not be persuaded and they will judge with the counter- arguments also in mind.
But if the person blamed (or even more ridiculous his party) flounces off to the police station crying ‘slander’, then they for sure are going to re-enforce the accusation in people’s minds. Who will now forget that little bit if Mahathir’s long speech where he blamed Razak for cheating the folk of Sabah and Sarawak out of their oil revenues?
It’s what’s known as an own goal in the business and these people keep doing it!