The opposition chided Dr Mahathir Mohamad for 'fooling around' in Parliament during his last day in the House as prime minister.

Kerk Kim Hock (DAP-Kota Melaka) said that Mahathir, who is leaving office tomorrow after 22 years as prime minister, was in his "farewell playful mood".

"I was quite surprised and disappointed at the way he responded to questions (during the question and answer session), he was not serious at all," said Kerk, when met at the Parliament lobby this afternoon.

"Many of us were looking forward to some 'real parting words'. Instead he was in a playful mood and was mucking about," added Kerk, who is DAP secretary-general.

Nasharuddin Mat Isa (PAS-Yan) shared Kerk's sentiments.

He said Mahathir was not serious when replying to queries on parliamentary democracy, national unity, terrorism and violence.

"He is making life difficult for the new prime minister (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi)," said Nasharuddin, who is PAS secretary-general.

"We appreciate his contributions for the betterment of society but as far as democracy is concerned, he has failed," he added.

Abdul Rahman Yusof (Keadilan - Kemaman) criticised Mahathir for making all kinds of jokes against the opposition.

"As usual, he was making fun of the opposition without giving any constructive answers," added, Abdul Rahman.

Maintains stand

Mahathir took several jibes at opposition members, saying that they should join Barisan Nasional to solve their problems, while at the same time maintaining his stand on controversial issues such as democracy.

However, the opposition MPs felt that Mahathir's version of democracy was "horrible".

On a question from Dr Tan Seng Giaw (DAP-Kepong) on how he would ensure that democracy thrives in the country, Mahathir said the concept has many weaknesses.

"If it is practised just because of the madness for democracy, bad things will happen to the people and country - anarchy may even take place," the prime minister warned.

"Today the West associates democracy with the freedom of the individual and minority with democracy until the rights of the majority are forgotten. This negates the rule by the majority," he said.

"The rights of the individual should be protected but not at the expense of the majority," he added.

Several Barisan Nasional MPs took the opportunity to shower praises on Mahathir.

Abdul Ghafar Baba (BN-Batu Berendam) said Mahathir did a great job for the nation and that Malaysians were indebted to him.

"He has resolved many problems for the country such as the Communist insurgency and racial riots," said Ghafar, who was Mahathir's deputy from 1987 to 1993.

"He has also brought us economic prosperity and did well to weather the 1997 financial crisis," he added.

Mah Siew Kong (BN-Teluk Intan) disagreed with the opposition's contention that Mahathir was not serious in Parliament today.

"For a person who is retiring, he is still enthusiastic and as witty as ever," said Mah, who is Gerakan Youth chief.

"We hope he will continue to be open about his views even after he retired," he added.