Dr Mahathir Mohamad helmed the nation for more than two decades, during which he accumulated a long list of critics, who accused him of corruption, abuse of power and ruling with an iron fist.

Some of his fiercest critics have embraced him after the former premier crossed over the political divide on the grounds of “saving the nation” from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

But others find it difficult to do so. There are also those who have asked if Mahathir was willing to apologise for his past deeds.

During an interview with a news portal this morning, the 92-year-old politician sidestepped the issue once again.

The Pakatan Harapan chairperson told The Malaysian Insight that there were more pertinent issues to deal with at present instead of dwelling on the past.

“We are now faced with a country which is on the verge of destruction because of an 'individual'. So which is more important? Must I say sorry first, and only then I can fight Najib?

“Actually, this is a small matter. The main thing is to fight kleptocracy in Malaysia,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.

Meanwhile, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, who was also present at the interview, called on Malaysians to have an open mind with regard to facing changes.

He claimed that if the opposition failed to wrest power from BN this time around, Malaysia would be trapped for almost another decade.

Former critics like Lim had claimed that Mahathir, had during his 22-year tenure, compromised the independence of the judiciary as well as other important institutions and agencies.

The media was also put on a tight leash, where dissenting voices were not provided space and editors who dared to push the envelope were often summoned for a dressing down.

Another one of his legacies included the detention without trial of opposition leaders and activists under the Internal Security Act in 1987. Among those detained were Lim and his son Guan Eng.

Apart from this, Mahathir was also accused of practising cronyism and nepotism.

Najib, on the other hand, has accused the former premier of attempting to topple him from power to engineer the political ascension of his son Mukhriz.