MAHATHIR'S SPEAKS OUT LOUD

Assassination

EXTRACT FROM THE SUN, 12th OCTOBER 2004, PAGE 4

Tun Dr. Mahathir suggested assassinating deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as an alternative to invading Iraq. Speaking to 3,000 businessmen, parliamentarians, students and diplomats on Asian leadership at Singapore Management University yesterday, Mahathir revealed discussions he had with British Prime Minister Tony Blair before the Iraq war and advised him on alternatives.

“I said, look, Hafez Al Assad, the dictator of Syria, eventually died and his son is a much more reasonable man.”

But Blair said, well, Saddam Hussein is too young. He’s not going to die soon enough.

Mahathir then suggested a number of other methods to effect political change, reports Reuters.

“There are various ways. Assassination is one of them," Mahathir said to nervous laughter in the auditorium. “One way is to ask foreign friend to remove your leader, that’s the second way.”

The Sun in the same page also quote Mahathir for launching a scathing attack on Anwar Ibrahim yesterday, (quote) “rubbishing his one-time protégé’s chances of a comeback ‘because he was homosexual’.” (unquote)

Re-stating Mahathir’s assertion that Anwar was released from jail only because of an administrative blunder, Mahathir was quoted as saying that rapists and murderers could also now dodge Malaysia’s legal system on technicalities.

(quote)“So if you feel like murdering, come to Malaysia,” Mahathir said. (unquote)