Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. -The Star filepic
KUALA LUMPUR: Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad appeared unfazed over remarks made by Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, dismissing the Deputy Home Minister as a mere “small boy”.
On Thursday (Dec 14), Nur Jazlan said that Dr Mahathir’s decision to return his two awards to the Selangor palace was not the “Malay custom”, adding that such an act could be seen as an even further insult.
“That’s his view. I don’t care what he says. He is a small boy. He is only maturing.
“It’s up to him to interpret it,” Dr Mahathir told reporters at the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Pribumi) headquarters on Friday (Dec 15).
Dr Mahathir, who is also Pribumi chairman, appeared calm when asked by reporters if he was expecting a backlash over his act of returning the two awards to the Selangor palace.
“If you read social media, you can get an idea what the backlash is. I don’t want to say anything but you can read social media,” he said.
When contacted, Nur Jazlan declined to respond to Dr Mahathir’s comments.
“I respect him highly, so I will not comment further,” he said.
Dr Mahathir was the recipient of two medals of honour – one from the then Selangor Sultan in 1978 and the other from the current Ruler, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, in 2003.
One of titles was the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) (First Class).
On Tuesday (Dec 12), the Selangor Council of the Royal Court confirmed that Dr Mahathir and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, had returned their awards.
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