Forget making peace with Mahathir
Malaysiakini
Nov 8, 2006

International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz called on the ruling party Umno to ditch peacemaking efforts with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, calling the moves a waste of time.

Rafidah, a one-time protege of Mahathir's, said her former boss had "crossed the line" with his bitter attacks against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in recent months.

"If you ask me, I would say, forget (making peace) because he not only attacked the party and the government, but also talked about the prime minister needing to be replaced, and that cannot be tolerated," Rafidah was quoted as saying in the Star newspaper.

Mahathir's criticisms of Abdullah, which include allegations of economic mismanagement, nepotism and corruption, have shocked Umno and raised fears of divisions within the party.

Rally around Pak Lah

Hopes of a reconciliation were dashed last month when a meeting between the two men failed to resolve an increasingly bitter feud, instead yielding heightened attacks from both sides.

The row is expected to take centre stage at Umno's key annual political meeting next week, and Rafidah called on party members to rally around Abdullah.

"We have no sides in Umno and the present Umno is led by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. No Umno member, whether a past president or past prime minister, has the right to hold sway over three million members who just want unity," said Rafidah, one of the most senior figures in the government.

Rafidah last year publicly clashed with Mahathir over a controversial car imports scheme which the elder statesman said was undermining national automaker Proton.

The fallout saw Rafidah severely criticised by Umno over the permit scheme, with calls from some quarters, including from Mahathir, for her resignation,

The minister, who famously wept when Mahathir announced his retirement from politics in 2002, also said she would never forgive him for the accusations.

"I will never forgive him for accusing me of all kinds of things. I cannot take it any more, I have reached boiling point," she said.