Dr Boo: I'm just doing what Dr M did to Tunku Abdul Rahman

JOHOR BARU: Johor DAP state committee member Dr Boo Cheng Hau (pic) has defended his call for Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's resignation, saying it is not insolent or treacherous.

He added that it was no different when Dr Mahathir called for Malaysia's first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, to resign back in 1969.

"It is to exercise our democratic rights to have the best leader we think possible at different times to lead the country," he said in a statement here Wednesday (Feb 20).

Dr Boo was responding to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council member Muhammad Faiz Na'aman, who had accused him of being insolent and treacherous.

The DAP man advised Muhammad Faiz to avoid using sweeping terms like "treacherous" and "insolent" for criticising someone, saying it was part and parcel of a mature democracy.

"I have respected Dr Mahathir's resilience as a senior politician who ruled the country as prime minister under the Umno-Barisan Nasional government for 22 years, and now under Pakatan Harapan for nine months, even though I have never fancied his ideological values.

"Dr Mahathir himself and Umno Youth called for Tunku Abdul Rahman's resignation too, which should be taken as part and parcel of democracy," he said.

Dr Boo argued that many of Dr Mahathir's policies in his previous tenure as prime minister are still alive today and being perpetuated by the premier and Bersatu under Pakatan Harapan.

He said many of Dr Mahathir's present statements not only contradicted the Pakatan consensus and its manifesto, but were also damaging to the ruling coalition's credibility as a whole.

Earlier this week, Dr Boo, the former Skudai assemblyman, openly called for Dr Mahathir's resignation for "belittling Pakatan's manifesto and promises".

He said this was evident based on the Bersatu chairman's statement that Pakatan's manifesto was not a "bible" but were mere guidelines.

A news portal quoted Muhammad Faiz as saying that this was "insolent" as it negated Dr Mahathir's contribution in overthrowing Barisan in the May 9 polls last year.

Muhammad Faiz said Pakatan members were allowed to reprimand their leaders but this should be done through the proper channel and in a respectful manner.