Dr Mahathir Mohamad was far from apologetic in a letter to Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia Zahrain Mohamed Hashim over his controversial “Bugis pirate” remarks.

The former prime minister said while he understood that the ambassador's task is to defend Malaysia, he, however, advised the latter against “inciting (cucuk) the Indonesians” on this matter.

“They cannot vote in the 14th general election,” he added on a sarcastic note.

Mahathir also trained his guns on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, riddling the latter with the usual allegations of him being a “crook” and “stealing billions”.

He also claimed that the people of Indonesia are aware of the Malaysian prime minister's alleged misdeeds.

Mahathir went on to defend his speech on the grounds that his remarks were aimed at the prime minister and not the Bugis community.

He also pointed out that the existence of Bugis pirates in the past was a fact similar to how there were Malay pirates and those of other races.

“Even today, there are pirates in the Malacca Straits,” he added in the letter dated Nov 1, which was published on Bersatu's Facebook page this morning.

Mahathir claimed that the Malaysian prime minister is known around the world for being a “crook who stole billions” from 1MDB, EPF, KWAP, Tabung Haji and others.

“This crook (penyangak) also claims to be a 'Bugis warrior'. Can the Bugis be proud of a 'penyamun besar' (big crook) claiming that he is a Bugis descendant and a Bugis warrior?” he asked.

Najib (photo) has denied abusing public funds for personal gain and accused Mahathir of attempting to topple him from power to achieve his personal political interests.

The prime minister's supporters claim that Mahathir is attempting to engineer the political ascension of his son Mukhriz.

Najib has also been cleared of any wrongdoing with regard to 1MDB by attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali.

Mahathir's “Bugis pirate” remarks not only earned him a royal rebuke from Selangor ruler Sultan Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and the state royal court but also ruffled feathers in Indonesia.

Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla had demanded an apology, saying that Mahathir's remarks had also insulted the Bugis people in the neighbouring nation.

Following this, Zahrain sent a letter to Mahathir on Oct 23 urging him to take the necessary steps to clear the air between Malaysia and Indonesia.

In a Bernama report on Nov 7, the Malaysian ambassador noted that Mahathir did not apologise and continued to slander Najib in his Nov 1 letter.

The police are also investigating Mahathir for  his remark.