Abdullah okays meeting with Dr M
Malaysiakini
Oct  18, 2006

The reconciliation meeting between premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his predecessor is definitely on and it will be held in the next few days.

Abdullah confirmed this today after he agreed to the meeting - billed as the ‘clear-the-air’ session between him and Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Abdullah said that he was open to the meeting - to be held before the Hari Raya festival - and hoped that it will be beneficial to both sides.

Yesterday, former prime minister Mahathir said he was ready to meet Abdullah to end a damaging public row that has sent shockwaves through the ruling party. 

Mahathir said he hoped the meeting could be held before the Hari Raya festival, which falls early next week, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

“At the meeting, I will raise again the issues that I've been keeping in my heart since I left the government,” he said. 

Abdullah said today he was prepared to hear Mahathir's complaints.

"I am also ready," he said of the talks proposal. "We will meet before Hari Raya festival. I am prepared to listen. God willing it will bring some good to everyone... including for both of us," he added.

Newspaper reports said there had been growing pressure for peace talks from within the ruling Umno, after influential figures warned it could lose power over the row between its top members.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, Abdullah's heir-apparent, hailed the prospects of peace talks.

"Umno has been hoping for both leaders to meet and have a heart-to-heart talk. This cannot be solved by open statements," he told reporters.

"If they can meet face-to-face they can talk privately and maybe make it easier to explain issues and decisions made by the government."

The recent attacks

Last week, Umno secretary-general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad indicated that a meeting between the two leaders was in the pipeline.

He said he was praying for something good to happen in this holy month of Ramadan - namely a meeting between Mahathir and Abdullah. 

“Who knows. May be God will open up the hearts of both of them to agree to meet each other,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

Infuriated by the axing of pet projects conceived during his two decades in power, Mahathir has accused Abdullah of incompetence, nepotism and corruption, and publicly lamented handing him the top job in 2003.

In an interview with CNN on Saturday, Abdullah denied he was committing "political suicide" by dropping some of the pet projects of Mahathir.

Abdullah said that he commands majority support and that "not everybody appreciates" the fierce criticisms by Mahathir against his leadership.

Meanwhile in his interview with Bloomberg on Monday, Mahathir accused Abdullah of endangering economic growth.

Mahathir said the current prime minister, who has been in office for three years, is jeopardising growth and that confidence in his government is waning.