Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said that it was strange that he is accorded the freedom of expression to criticise Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak but former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik is not.

Mahathir said this in his affidavit in support of Ling's application to strike out Najib's defamation suit against him today.

He said he noted the PM's reply to Ling's counter-claim that he (Najib) accepted Mahathir's criticism as "… a healthy practice of freedom of expression under the leadership of the plaintiff as the prime minister of Malaysia".

"The PM is correct (at least on this score).

"Therefore, it does seem strange to me that I am accorded the right to freedom of expression, but Ling is not," he said in his affidavit.

Mahathir also admitted that he had repeatedly called for Najib to resign and that he was unfit to be PM.

The 91-year-old former premier added that despite his accusations that Najib had lied in public and was guilty of theft, bribery, money-laundering and undermining the constitution and legal system, Najib had not sued him for defamation.

In the affidavit, Mahathir continued to affirm the comments he made on his blog regarding his stinging criticism over 1MDB, where among others he claimed that the government under Najib had borrowed money.

“If 1MDB loses money, the government will bear the loss. Yet 1MDB's operations is not overseen by government officers responsible for the management of government funds. From the beginning it was wrong - it started off as an off-budget (venture) and it was not put before the Parliament.

“The money was borrowed. So it is not sovereign wealth, but sovereign debt,” he said, reiterating what was written on his blog on April 23, last year.

On June 9, Mahathir further wrote that banks later denied that they had the cash from the Cayman Islands.

“Embarrassing. The vision has disappeared. No, it is not cash; it is documents. No, it is units . What units? Dunno. Which bank? Not clear. The mystery deepens,” the former premier said over Najib's claim that money from the Cayman Islands was returning.

Climate of fear

“The money belongs to the people. It is the duty of the police and the anti-corruption agency to investigate the complaints and the reports that have been made - including by Bank Negara .

“But the agencies have not been investigated. There is a climate of fear which restraints them from investigating. For as long as Najib is the PM, investigating things involving him is not going to be really possible.

“It is necessary that the PM relinquish his position and authority if the auditor-general, Public Accounts Committee (PAC) or even a royal commission of inquiry is needed to reveal the truth,” Mahathir noted.

On his criticisms over personal donation criticism made on Aug 3, last year, the former premier asked whether the Inland Revenue Board had acted with the authority granted to it, on the sum of RM2.6 billion deposited in Najib's personal accounts.

“Najib and his supporters should stop trying to convince Malaysians that the RM2.6 billion in his private account is a donation. No one believes - or can believe - such a huge sum of money could be donated by anyone to Najib or to anyone for whatever reason,

“Why US$700 million? Surely, it is too big for the needs of Malaysian elections - except if it is to (possibly) bribe the Malaysian electorate. Why should anyone want to bribe the Malaysian electorate so that Najib would win?

"When stolen money is put through banks, the objective is to make it legal, to launder it,” he said of his posting on Aug 28, last year.

Mahathir also mentioned that he had attended the Bersih 4 rally on Aug 30, where he alleged that the promotions of certain individuals from the PAC to become deputy ministers, were a form of bribery.

“So he (Najib) has undermined the constitution and the legal system of this country. We must remove this PM. He has bribed all the Umno division heads.

“He created 1MDB to borrow money and then the money disappeared. And suddenly RM2.6 billion appeared in his account - not in Umno, but in his account.

"He is using this money to bribe people. Don't tell lies about Arabs giving RM2.6 billion. The only money that can come in may be through 1MDB,” Mahathir said, in providing a video clip of his previous statements.

Mahathir further said he maintains the positions as mentioned, and that he still does not believe in Najib as the present PM.

“He (Najib) must step down immediately,” he said, and ended the affidavit.