GE14 | Former chief justice Abdul Hamid Mohamad has offered some words of advice to PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail if the latter wanted to be prime minister.

“My advice is to throw that paper fan away, walk straight and appear more assertive and confident. Don't appear like a Chinese opera actress with the fan,” he said.

“(I) don't know what she is trying to fan or if she is attempting to shield her face (with the fan) because of embarrassment.

“Whatever the excuse, the fan has to be discarded if she wants to be prime minister,” he added in a blog post.

The paper fan has become a trademark accessory for the PKR president, who is also the wife of jailed former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, at public events.

Abdul Hamid said it is still difficult to imagine how Wan Azizah would become prime minister even without the paper fan in hand.

“She is not the right material for the post. Let us wait and see what happens on May 9 (polling day for the 14th general election),” he added.

Pakatan Harapan has named its chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister and Wan Azizah as his deputy if the opposition coalition wins federal power.

Meanwhile, Abdul Hamid conceded he is no fan of local politicians' speeches, especially during election season.

“Firstly, I dislike the way they shout as if the person who is loudest is right. Secondly, I am not attracted to the trading of insults, accusations...

“If we hope for the 'ulama' to show an example, we would be disappointed. They are the same,” he added.

Based on the speeches, Abdul Hamid said the conclusion to be drawn is that all politicians are the same regardless of parties.

Dr M's Putrajaya ceramah audience looked like Indonesian workers

Abdul Hamid also cast doubts on whether those who attended Mahathir's ceramah in Putrajaya were civil servants, claiming those present appeared more like Indonesian construction workers.

“Thousands attended. Almost all of them males, aged between early 20s and early 30s, wearing t-shirts with no collars and jeans, shouting 'reformasi' when Mahathir spoke.

“To me, this not how the people of Putrajaya look or behave. They are mostly civil servants in their 40s. If they had gone to listen to Mahathir's speech, they would wear shirts or at the very least, collared t-shirts. They would listen (to the speech) quietly, let alone shout 'reformasi'.

“I am of the opinion that they are supporters or those paid (to attend) brought from elsewhere. Apart from what I mentioned, their appearance and body shape looked like Indonesian construction workers. This is in line with (caretaker prime minister) Najib's (Abdul Razak) statement that night that dozens of buses brought outsiders into Putrajaya.

“Those people looked the same as those who protested when Anwar was sentenced for the first time (in 1999). They are not members of Bersatu, Amanah, what more DAP, who would never shout reformasi and there were none who looked Chinese (either),” he added.