THE final stretch of GE14 got off to a sensational st‎art with opposition leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad alleging last night that an aircraft scheduled to fly him to Langkawi had been tampered with.

He also said several friends who loaned him their private jets previously were suddenly reluctant to do so, thereby complicating his travel arrangements to the island where he is contesting the parliamentary seat.

The Pakatan Harapan chairman had no doubt that hidden hands were ‎behind this attempt to ensure he didn’t make it to Langkawi to lodge his nomination papers this morning. He had warned his PH colleagues to be prepared for all sorts of dirty tricks in what is already proving to be an election known for underhanded tactics and sledgehammer decisions by government agencies.

The former prime minister said when he went to the airport in Kuala Lumpur, he was told by the pilot that the jet was “out of order” and if he took to the skies “anything could happen”.

At an impromptu press conference upon arrival in Langkawi, he said it was pointless lodging a police report on the tampering allegation “because lodging a police report in this country was meaningless because no investigation is done”.

‎The indefatigable Dr Mahathir has been criss-crossing the country to drum up support for PH in the past few months. Thousands have turned out to hear him call Najib Razak a thief and detail the caretaker prime minister’s laundry list of alleged sins.

Umno backroom boys have identified the former prime minister as its biggest threat heading into the elections and some decisions by government agencies appear targeted at minimising the Dr Mahathir effect nationwide.

It has been widely expected that businessmen or other prominent Malaysians who have been supporting Dr Mahathir would come under pressure to end their support.

Last night, he said some of his friends who usually loaned him their private jets had rejected his overtures.

“Obviously, they had been warned not to lend me their planes. The plan was to prevent me from coming to Langakwi in time.”

Fortunately, an individual who was due to fly to Singapore on his private jet cancelled his trip down south and allowed Dr Mahathir to use the aircraft. – April 28, 2018.