Dr Mahathir Mohamad is unfazed by the prospect of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) being established on the Memali incident, which claimed 18 lives.

According to the former premier, he welcomes the setting up of an RCI as he possesses numerous evidence, reports and stories on this issue.

“This includes those, directly and indirectly, involved,” he said in a blog post this evening.

Mahathir also republished PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's controversial amanat (address), saying it is to “kick start the RCI”.

“This (amanat) is said to be closely related to the Memali incident.

“The amanat encouraged a struggle against the government, which was termed as jihad (holy war), and death (in this struggle) is syahid (matyrdom),” he added.

Mahathir also recounted the speech of the then acting prime minister Musa Hitam on Nov 20, 1985, a day after the incident.

The speech revealed that at 11am on Nov 19, a police team was ambushed close to Kedah PAS leader Ibrahim Mahmud@Ibrahim Libya's house, leading to the deaths of an inspector and sergeant while a constable sustained serious injuries.

“What is clear is that the police were killed first because the followers of Ibrahim were on a supposed jihad,” said Mahathir.

Debate on the Memali tragedy was reignited 32 years later after Mahathir was asked about the incident during the Nothing to Hide 2 forum on Aug 13.

The forum turned violent and its organiser Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) accused political opponents of masterminding the fracas in an attempt to cause Mahathir hurt.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, however, claimed that the fracas was due to audiences being unhappy at Mahathir's response on the Memali incident.

Last Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government was prepared to hold an RCI into the Memali incident if there were requests for it.

If the RCI is set up, it will be the second commission this year to investigate scandals or incidences that happened during Mahathir's era as prime minister.

Bersatu had accused the government of targeting Mahathir after the former prime minister went on a warpath against Putrajaya, vowing to dislodge Najib Abdul Razak as prime minister.

Read our KiniGuide: Dusting off history books on Memali tragedy