DR Mahathir Mohamad said today he returned his royal awards to the sultan of Selangor as he no longer felt he deserved them.

“I don’t think I’m worthy enough to be decorated. I was decorated because he thinks I deserve it,” said the former prime minister.

“But now I’m going to set fire to the whole country. I don’t think i deserve it anymore.” 

Asked if he had returned the royal awards to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah as a form of protest, he replied: “I don’t know, that’s your opinion.”

“Yes, I’m a very angry man, you can see how angry I am. I will burn you, I am always burning things,” Dr Mahathir said, when asked why did he think the sultan had called him an angry man in a recent interview with The Star. 

Dr Mahathir was speaking after a meeting of Pakatan Harapan leaders to discuss the US’ decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

He was asked to comment on The Malaysian Insight reports yesterday that he and his wife, Dr Siti Hasmah, had returned two titles each to the Selangor palace on Thursday.

Dr Mahathir returned the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Paduka Mahkota Selangor (SPMS) Darjah Kelas Pertama and Darjah Yang Amat Dihormati Kelas Pertama (DK).

Dr Siti Hasmah returned the SPMS and Dato Paduka Mahkota Selangor (DPMS).

Sultan Sharafuddin told The Star in an interview last week that the Malaysia’s former prime minister of 22 years had an “inferiority complex” whose “anger would burn the country”.

Prior to that, the sultan had also taken issue with Dr Mahathir’s alleged insult to the Bugis community.

During the “Love Malaysia, end kleptocracy” rally in Petaling Jaya on October 14, Dr Mahathir slammed Prime Minister Najib Razak as a descendent of a “Bugis pirate”.

The Selangor royal court on November 2 released a statement saying that the sultan was upset at Dr Mahathir’s speech, and urged the police to investigate the former prime minister for allegedly inciting hatred for the Bugis.

Asked today if he would return his other titles, including that of “Tun”, Dr Mahathir replied, “Why should I?”

After his retirement as prime minister in 2003, the then Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Sirajuddin of Perlis conferred upon Dr Mahathir the Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm, which carries the title of “Tun”. – December 12, 2017.