A senior Sarawak minister William Mawan Ikom has described ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s criticisms of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as the former’s ‘hobby’.

“The former prime minister has been saying a lot of things favourable or not favourable about the way Najib is running the government. Probably that is his hobby,” said William Mawan Ikom, who is state social development minister and president of Parti Tenaga Rakyat Sarawak (Teras).

He was asked to comment on the criticisms leveled against the prime minister by Mahathir which have picked up pace in recent weeks. In his latest salvo yesterday, Mahathir questioned who was behind the Altantuya murder as well as the Scorpene submarine deal which he labelled a ‘scandal’.

Mahathir had also predicted that BN and UMNO would lose the next general election due to the questionable issues surrounding the prime minister.

Mawan ( right ) told a news conference that Mahathir was entitled to make criticisms against Najib  and that “ ... he had his own crystal ball”.

“I have a lot of respect for him. But let us not be a prophet of doom. Everybody will suffer the consequences.

“We should not wish for bad things to happen to ourselves. We wish good things, good tidings,” he said in response to Mahathir’s prediction of BN’s defeat in the coming general election.

Mawan stressed that the government could not stop the people from criticising the government particularly if the criticisms were constructive.

'Sabah, S'wak behind PM'

However, he said, such criticisms should be channelled through a proper forum so that such input could be used to improve the system of government.

But when the criticisms went overboard, then the intention became suspect, he added, pointing out such criticisms would risk the unity of the people besides placing the government’s development programmes in  jeopardy.

“Being in government, we can’t allow this. We are part of the government and we stand by Najib,” he said.

Mawan formed Teras last May as a splinter party from BN component SPDP.  Although yet to be admitted into BN, it has declared that it is BN-friendly.   

Meanwhile, another senior state minister disagreed with Mahathir that BN would lose in the coming general election claiming the people of Sarawak and Sabah were fully behind the prime minister.

Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) President James Masing ( left ) said: “I am confident that BN with Najib as prime minister will continue to administer Malaysia after the next general election scheduled for 2018.

“However, it would be much easier if Umno remains united because a house divided will be harder to defend. So don’t divide or don’t wreck it,” he said in reference to Mahathir’s constant attacks on Najib.

As far as Sarawak was concerned, Najib would ‘win big’ in the coming election, added the chief of PRS which is a BN component party.