PAKATAN Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad said even if all opposition leaders were arrested, efforts to remove the kleptocratic government would continue.

He asserted that the PH coalition would be successful in defeating Prime Minister Najib Razak in the coming general election.

“Even now, (he) feels shaken and is afraid. That is why action is being taken to arrest and accuse leaders from PH of this and that… of involvement in corruption and all sorts of allegations.

“He is also a shameless human being. He does bad things (perkara yang tidak baik).

“But we are willing to face all sorts of challenges. If (they) want to catch us, then catch us. Our parties will continue to fight, even if the leaders are not around,” he said.

Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years, was speaking at the opening of Amanah’s second national convention in Alor Setar today. Amanah is a member of PH.

“That is the responsibility of all Malaysians. It is good to have leaders, but if all the leaders are put in jail, then all who support PH will work towards removing Najib by themselves.

“I am confident (that) we have the chance because we love this blessed nation that can become an advanced country,” he said.

Several opposition parties’ leaders are currently dealing with pending investigations and court cases over various allegations.

The latest is Parti Warisan Sabah president Shafie Apdal, who has been under a four-day remand since yesterday, for investigations into alleged corruption and misappropriation in the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, where he was previously minister.

He was removed from Najib’s cabinet in 2015, about a year before he announced his resignation from Umno following a suspension. 

Shafie, who was Umno vice-president at the time, had been critical of Najib’s handling of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

After his departure from Umno, he formed Warisan, an opposition party based in his home state, Sabah. Warisan is not a PH member.

Last night at a ceramah, Dr Mahathir questioned why the probe into Shafie was not initiated while he was an Umno minister. – October 21, 2017.