Violence at Mahathir forum: sign of things to come for Malaysian election?
Opposition figures blame Prime Minister Najib Razak’s camp for chaotic scenes in which flares, chairs and slippers were hurled on stage during event to discuss the 1MDB scandal
Key allies of Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad and ruling party leaders on Tuesday were trading blame over an outbreak of violence at a forum featuring the ex-premier turned opposition chief, as observers warned the ugly scenes could be repeated manyfold ahead of a key election pitting the 92-year-old against Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Videos of the chaotic scenes at Sunday’s town hall meeting went viral on social media within hours, as Malaysians expressed shock that Mahathir – who helmed Malaysia with an iron hand for 22 years – narrowly missed being hit by flares, chairs, slippers and water bottles hurled on stage.
Mahathir was fielding questions from the 1,000-strong crowd at a hall in the town of Shah Alam when the chaos broke. Minders managed to whisk him out of the building moments after it became filled with pink smoke and as scuffles broke out.
The former premier’s spokesman told This Week in Asia there would be “an internal review of certain procedures with regards to Dr Mahathir’s movements in light of the incident”. But the veteran leader would “continue with his pre-planned public programmes,” said the spokesman.
In a Facebook video on Tuesday, Mahathir said he was unfazed by the incident. “I’m very frank, I will speak what I think is the truth [and] I don’t care about people’s reaction. The truth must be told,” he said.