Dr M: I only had long chat with Anwar

PETALING JAYA: Not confirming if he was making peace with his arch nemesis, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) said he was at the High Court as he was interested in the court case initiated by PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“This is about the NSC Act. As you know, I have written about the Act in my blog and he is doing the same thing - trying to stop the Act.

“So I met him and had a long chat with him about what he’s doing,” Dr Mahathir told reporters outside the courtroom in Jalan Duta on Monday.

Asked if he was making peace with Anwar since their falling-out in 1998, Mahathir maintained that he came to speak to Anwar because he was interested in the case.

He declined to say if he and Anwar were now friends or Opposition partners.

“I don’t know about friends. I talked to him, that’s it. I endorse his actions against the NSC Act,” said Dr Mahathir.

It was the first time that the two leaders met face-to-face in 18 years after Dr Mahathir sacked Anwar as Deputy prime Minister on Sept 1, 1998.

Anwar’s wife, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, said in a tweet that the meeting between the two was their first since Sept 2, 1998.

Anwar had filed the suit on Aug 2 to stop the operation of the National Security Council Act on the grounds that the Act is unconstitutional.

He named the Government and the National Security Council as respondents in his originating summons filed at the High Court civil registry.

The Act has been criticised by the Opposition and human rights organisations on the grounds that it would give the Prime Minister absolute powers.

It allows for the establishment of a National Security Council consisting of the Prime Minister as chairman, Deputy Prime Minister as deputy chairman, the Defence, Home and Communications and Multimedia ministers, Chief Secretary to the Government, Chief of Defence Forces, and Inspector-General of Police.