Bernama July 19: Abdullah Says He Has No Problems With Dr Mahathir
Abdullah Says He Has No Problems With Dr Mahathir
PUTRAJAYA, July 19 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he had no problems with his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad although the former prime minister had been criticising him and his administration.
Abdullah also said that he even did not harbour any ill-feeling following the criticisms by Dr Mahathir.
"Why should I have any ill-feeling towards anybody?" he said when asked whether he had any ill-feeling towards Dr Mahathir following criticisms by the latter.
Speaking to reporters at his office, here, Abdullah said he would usually greet Dr Mahathir, shake hands with him and engage in a conversation when he met the former prime minister on occasions.
When he was in Tokyo recently, Abdullah said, he was the one who made the effort to meet Dr Mahathir in the latter’s room after knowing that Dr Mahathir also stayed at the same hotel.
Abdullah said he contacted an officer of Dr Mahathir to enquire whether the former prime minister had the time for them to meet.
"I did not ask him to come and see me. I went to meet him. As a gesture of friendship, just to exchange greetings," he said.
Dr Mahathir had criticised Abdullah and his administration on, among other things, the decision by the government to scrap the project to build a half-bridge to replace the Johor Causeway, and even mentioned that Abdullah was not his first choice as successor.
Asked whether he would sit down with Dr Mahathir in sorting out their differences, Abdullah said: "I have been doing this. I don’t think it is a problem."
Commenting on a proposed mediator to help resolve their differences, Abdullah said that was not a decision of the party and government.
– BERNAMA
