Dr M: DAP unhappy I attended Gerakan's Chinese New Year open house

PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir has revealed that DAP was not happy that he attended Gerakan’s Chinese New Year Open House.

“They are my friends. It is a social event, not a political event. I can’t ditch my friends because of political differences, ” he said when speaking on the issue.

He said this on Saturday (Feb 8) in an exclusive interview with the Malaya Post.

Dr Mahathir attended the Gerakan open house along with his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Economics Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and wife Datin Seri Shamsidar Taharin.

Speaking at the open house on Jan 25, Gerakan president Datuk Dr Dominic Lau said that it has always been Gerakan's tradition to invite the Prime Minister to attend the party's Chinese New Year open house every year.

Dr Mahathir's presence at this year's open house has been rather significant, said Lau.

"We invited the Prime Minister to the open house last year but Tun did not attend it. This year, he attended it and it is very significant and good for the party," said Lau.

When asked to comment on former Gerakan secretary-general Datuk Liang Teck Meng who was unhappy that Lau had invited Dr Mahathir to attend the open house, Lau said it did not go against the party's principles.

"Principles are whatever is addressed and listed down in our ideology. The principles are not a personal principle.

"It cannot be your own agenda, whatever spelled out in our (Gerakan) ideology, these are the nine principles we are fighting for. If anybody says we don't have principles, then please point out which principle we are against in Gerakan's (principles)," he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir also said in the interview that he is not trying to create a new political alliance.

“I am open to meeting everybody including political rivals, NGOs, religious and ethnic bodies. However, some interpret my meeting with (leaders of) rival parties as an attempt to make a new move. That’s not true. I did not invite them (to forge a new alliance), ” he said.