Opposition leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail welcomes the new position taken by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad that street demonstrations can be carried out to oust Najib Abdul Razak.

Wan Azizah see this as a sign that Mahathir, who severely clamped down on the 1998 'Reformasi' movement after sacking his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, finally understands the people's feelings.

"Alhamdulillah! (Thank God!). That means he understands the people's feelings. Now we see a Dr Mahathir who is very vocal in his critique against the prime minister. He surely knows the issue and the government mechanism, for he was in it.

"Now, if he knows how the ordinary people feel, I can only say, thank God," she said at a press conference after launching the 'Reformasi: Perjuangan Diteruskan (1998-2015) coffee table book in Puchong last night.

Earlier yesterday, Mahathir commented that street demonstrations to oust Najib could be done, but only as a last resort.

He said this in reply to a question on the #TangkapNajib rally of Aug 1, and the mammoth Bersih 4.0 rally scheduled to be held on Aug 29 and 30 to push for Najib's resignation.

"That would be the last resort. We are not violent people. We should not resort to street demonstrations because these can affect others.

"But if there is no way, then it could be done," Mahathir told a press conference after attending a dialogue session in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

Mahathir has been a constant thorn in Najib's side after criticising the administration and its performance, as well as the lifestyle of the prime minister and his family members, since last year, especially in relation to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd fiasco.

After sacking Anwar, a massive rally was organised in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 20, 1998, marking the era of 'Reformasi' that led to a series of smaller weekend rallies throughout the city, all of which were clamped down on by the authorities.

This development subsequently led to the formation of PKR, led by Wan Azizah, which along with PAS and DAP which, through Pakatan Rakyat, stopped BN from winning two-thirds majority in Parliament in the general elections since 1999.

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