THERE are more calls for Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to apologise to Dr Mahathir Mohamad for touching on the former prime minister’s parentage during an Umno division meeting over the weekend.

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said all prime ministers of Malaysia have mixed lineage and heritage, adding that it was shameful and disgraceful that Malaysia was caught in an ugly dogfight insulting each other’s lineage and heritage.

Lim said Zahid should be graceful enough to admit his grave error of judgment.

“He should just apologise and let the country move on to celebrate the nation’s 60th National Day anniversary, with the 30-day countdown which starts today,” he said in a press conference at the media room at Parliament today. 

Earlier, the Youth wing of Bersatu held a gathering outside Parliament to demand that Zahid publicly apologise to Dr Mahathir.

About 20 members of the Youth wing (Armada) from the Federal Territory and Selangor branches also questioned the integrity of the director-general of the National Registration Department for disclosing information in violation of the Personal Data Protection Act. 

FT Armada leader Zahin Zainal said Zahid should apologise to Dr Mahathir, not because of his status as chairman of Bersatu and Pakatan Harapan, but as a Malaysian.

“According to the act, there must be reasons when someone wants to disclose such information or get the owner’s permission,” he told reporters.

He said Zahid had one week to apologise. 

Armada also invited Zahid to the Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum organised by Armada on August 13, to which Dr Mahathir had confirmed his attendance.

“If he has any question about Dr Mahathir’s lineage, he can come to the Nothing to Hide 2.0 forum,” said Selangor Armada leader Adhif Syan Abdullah.

The forum is a platform to answer questions raised by the people on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

Several police reports have been lodged against Zahid and the director-general of NRD for releasing Dr Mahathir’s personal information.

NRD is under the purview of the Home Ministry, which Zahid heads.

On Sunday, Zahid at the Kelana Jaya Umno division meeting had brought up Dr Mahathir’s ethnic background by showing a picture of the former prime minister’s old identity card on his phone.

Zahid said the IC bore the name “Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty”. – August 1, 2017.