An aide to Malaysian prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor has claimed that former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is not like his own father just as Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is nothing like his father.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Rizal Mansor said: "In simple terms, Mahathir too is not the same as his own father. This is as his dad was a teacher, while Mahathir is a doctor who later became a politician."
He was responding to Mahathir's speech in Jitra where he commented on an earlier speech of Najib in his home town, Pekan. In the speech, Najib had said that Mahathir could not be compared with his father, Abdul Razak Hussein.
But later in his speech, Mahathir accused Najib of looking down on Razak by not truly emulating the man that fathered him.
Rizal said: "It is not difficult to understand what Najib said about the difference between him and his dad. He was differentiating the current lifestyle with that of those in an older age. There is nothing strange about that."
"While the kampung folk in Pekan understood what Najib meant easily, it is unfortunate that the man who was Prime Minister for 22 years had misinterpreted it until it became something far off the mark," continued Rizal, Malaysia Kini reported.
He continued: "Indeed, all his gratitude, which he said cannot be forgotten, turned into words of scorn just because he failed to oust the late Abdul Razak's son, Najib."
He questioned whether Mahathir was really that desperate to dethrone Najib and because of which he was ready to train his guns on his late contributor. "Or is Mahathir intentionally trying to say that Tun Abdul Razak is useless?" the aide further questioned.
Rizal said that no one would ever insult their parents especially if when they have passed away.
"All those who know Najib closely will not be able to accept the jibe thrown by Mahathir," added Rizal. He also said desperation was the only reason which led Mahathir to make such statements towards the prime minister and his father.
The Malaysia Kini reports that Rizal concluded by saying: "At least Najib succeeded in following in his father's footsteps to become prime minister, something that Mahathir's much doted on son is far from accomplishing."
All these statements of Rizal are the latest in a series of comments exchanged between Najib's and Mahathir's camp.
