Dr Mahathir Mohamad has not committed any wrong for coming out with a formula to cast a vote of no confidence aganist the Prime Minister Najib Razak, said a cabinet minister today.

Nor did the ex-premier commit any wrong for claiming Najib had bribed to silence the lawmakers on the RM2.6 billion scandal, opined the Minister for Communications and Multimedia, Salleh Said Keruak.

This is especially so as when what was said by Mahathir was just a general statement and were his views, said the minister.

He was asked if Putrajaya is mulling censoring the Internet to stop 'lies'. It has already blocked whistleblower portal Sarawak Report .

However it has not taken any action against Mahathir for what could be perceived as slander against Najib.

"There is nothing wrong in expressing a view. We are not blocking you from giving your views even if you disagree with the government," said Salleh ( photo ) in an event at Kuala Lumpur.

"You must be able to differentiate between a view and opinion, between something that can create disunity and suspicion among the people. Remember the Low Yat (brawl)?" he said.

"He (Mahathir) has a right to give his formula," he noted.

He, however, cautioned Mahathir not to step on the boundaries which may cause problems from the viewpoint of national security.

Indeed the minister assured that if anyone were to lodge a report against Mahathir's blog, the Malaysian Communication and Mulitimedia Commission (MCMC) will look into the complaint irrespective of that person’s political affiliation, he pledged.

MCMC is a fair entity which will act on a case-to-case basis, he added.

Lawmakers bought off

Salleh also stood by MCMC's blockage of Sarawak Report , claiming the website allegedly spread false information.

"There are certain things we have to take into consideration […] the security and stability of the nation, religious and racial harmony, extremism and terrorism," he said.

On Aug 20, Mahathir has called on the opposition to find a formula which would see BN remain in power without Najib.

If the opposition is really keen to be rid of Najib, it can only happen only if the BN government stays, but with a new leader, Mahathir had said in his blog posting.

Mahathir ( photo ) also accused his successor of buying off BN lawmakers critical of him including one who purportedly has documentary evidence of the prime minister’s misconduct.

He said BN MPs were now beholden to Najib after he had given them lucrative government posts.

"Even those who had come to me complaining about Najib’s administration before, upon now being given posts in his government, have now changed their stand.

"One of them who claimed to have documentary evidence of Najib’s misconduct now gladly supports him upon being made minister," said Mahathir.

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