Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today offered a witty rebuke to those proposing the death penalty to be included in the Sedition Act.

Asked of this at the launch of the book 'Wahai Melayu' he quipped: "Maybe he can try it himself."

 

Earlier, Mahathir said that abolishing the Sedition Act might not a solution, but the right solution would be to use the act "properly".

 

However, he refused to state whether the Act was currently being used in the charging of a slew of politicians, activists and academicians with sedition over the past month.

 

Meanwhile, Mahathir reiterated that he had withdrawn his support for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (above) , saying that he had issues with many things that are happening under Najib's administration.

'I Love PM' placards

 

"Having placards like ‘I love PM’ is not going to win you elections. I never had such things during my time," he said.

 

He, however, refused to state what advice he had given Najib in order for the latter to win back his support.

 

The former premier also clarified that he did not say that he would resign as PM if he were Najib, as reported by a portal yesterday.

 

"I didn't say that. I said if I were made PM again, I would resign. I am too old for this job now, so if I were to be appointed again, I would resign," he said.

Earlier, groups against the repeal of the Sedition Act proposed that the death penalty be imposed on repeat offenders under the Act.

The activists include former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan.

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