There is nothing wrong with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad attending last weekend's Bersih 4 rally as he was unlikely to cause harm, said Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz.

In fact, he said it would be better if more old men joined such protests.

"It's ok. I don't think old men like him would destroy public property or throw bombs.

"It would better if there were more old men like that," he quipped at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

BN strategic and communications director Abdul Rahman Dahlan however, was less accommodating.

'Angry men can't think straight'

He said Mahathir's attendance at Bersih was "very disappointing" but said it is because the former Umno president is a "very angry person" who is likely not thinking straight.

Abdul Rahman (picture) added Mahathir managed to turn away those sympathetic to him by showing up at the rally.

"It has gone beyond reasonable political maneuvering from a statesman like him.

"It is a very disappointing decision, we believe it could have been done differently," he said in a press conference in Serdang today.

Mahathir's accusations made at the rally were "audacious and quite mind-boggling" t he Kota Belud MP added.

He cautioned that this should not be taken seriously as "when someone is angry, you tend to say things that you don’t mean".

"I see a very angry person. And when you are angry, you don't think straight.

"Maybe we need a time out, maybe if Mahathir is willing to meet up with third parties, slow down, and let's see whether we can come up with an amicable understanding."

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