DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang has accused the Najib administration of conspiring to instil racial distrust, suspicion and panic, particularly among the Malays, by ushering the return of "Mahathirism".

Lim said the latest example was seen in Utusan Malaysia 's front page report that said the Chinese-based DAP would become the most powerful Pakatan Rakyat component party after the next general election.

NONE Quoting anonymous blogs, Utusan reported that DAP would contest the lion's share of the 222 Parliament seats, thereby making it the most powerful component, capable of deciding who would become prime minister.

"This is one example of (the) 'Return of Mahathirism Triumphant' at its worst and most irresponsible!" Lim said in a press statement today.

In recent months, Mahathir has been increasingly active in public, sniping at Pakatan and minority groups from the fringe.

According to Lim, the most recent took place in Penang last night, where Mahathir said Pakatan would destroy the country should BN lose the next general election.

A day before, Mahathir told Utusan 's Sunday edition Mingguan Malaysia that the Malays were "stupid" for allowing the federal government to recognise certificates from Chinese-dominated Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC).

'Mahathirism' is dead

Mahathir accused Lim of being afraid of the him and that the notion of "Mahathirism" did not exist.

abdullah ahmad badawi 020209 01 "Actually, Mahathirism died when Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) took over from me in 2003.

"He changed Umno, BN and the government so much that they no longer resemble the institutions I used to know.

"I had to resign from Umno (because of Abdullah)," Mahathir wrote on his blog chedet.cc.

He said this in response to Lim's recent claim that the former prime minister was aggressively infusing his brand of politics on the Najib administration of late with a string of incendiary public statements.

Mahathir said "Mahathirism" was a figment of Lim's imagination.

"He should not be afraid of this toothless tiger figuratively speaking," he said.

Gratitude to Umno

Mahathir also said he was unsure why Lim was "afraid" of him and said he was not aware of the definition of "Mahathirism".

He said that while the current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was "more friendly" compared with Abdullah, he stressed that they were "not that close".

"He has his own team of advisers. His policies are his own. So why fear Mahathirism? It is dead and gone," said Mahathir.

He added that he was currently campaigning for Umno and BN actively, but only because he was compelled to give back to the party, or what he termed as "payback time".

"I became prime minister because Umno and BN backed me; and backed me strongly. I owe a debt of gratitude to them.

"And that gratitude can only be manifested through helping Umno and BN to be accepted by the people and to win," he said.

Mahathirism dead, but not gone