EMPLOYING his trademark sarcasm, Malaysia’s former prime minister of 22 years has poked fun at his detractors who call him a dictator .

Dr Mahathir’s response comes as the Pakatan Harapan coalition prepares for a nationwide roadshow to promote him  as its prime minister-designate – a decision that has been criticised by some of the opposition’s most ardent supporters.

“People and the media never fail to point out that I was a dictator. I presided over an authoritarian Government of Malaysia for 22 years,” Dr Mahathir said in the latest post on his blog, chedet.cc.  

“Any mention of my name must be preceded or followed with the qualification “dictator”.

In the same irreverent vein, Dr Mahathir proceeded to list several examples of how he had acted like an autocrat during his reign between 1981 to 2003.

These included the controversial Ops Lalang detention of 106 activists and politicians in 1987 and the sacking of former supreme court lord president Salleh Abbas in 1988.

Human rights activists have frequently to referred to these two decisions as prime examples of the 92 year-old’s iron-fisted rule. 

Dr Mahathir also refuted former police chief Hanif Omar, who has publicly stated that Ops Lalang was his decision.

“It is not true of course. I went over his head and ordered as many people as possible to be detained and tortured. If he denies it must be because of bran. Still he does not seem to like bran,” Dr Mahathir wrote.

Former attorney-general Abu Talib Othman, who served under Dr Mahathir, has openly stated that it was actually the King who had initiated Salleh’s sacking.

“(Abu Talib) recently declared that I was not responsible for Tun Salleh Abas’ dismissal. This just cannot be true.

“Everyone saw how I caught hold of Salleh Abas by the scruff of his neck and threw him out of his court. I don’t know why Abu Talib should deny popular belief. Maybe I gave him bran. I don’t remember.”

Other examples of his “dictatorial behaviour” were his orders that no school or road should be named after him and that political prisoners be released.

“Upon being appointed prime minister I ordered the release of 21 political detainees, detained by my predecessors,” Dr Mahathir wrote.

“This release was of course the tradition with dictators. Previous democratic PMs did not release any detainees. They in fact added more because that was the democratic thing to do.”  

Dr Mahathir also described how his wife Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali had behaved like a proper dictator’s wife by being fond of pink diamonds and Hermes handbags.

“To cut a long story short, as a true dictator I decided to resign. All dictators do this.

“(German dictator) Adolf Hitler and (Italian fascist) Benito Mussolini unfortunately died before they could resign. Franco of Spain and Salazar of Portugal were about to resign when they died. 

“But I was lucky. I was able to resign before I die. This confirms that I was a true dictator. I ordered some ministers to rush up to me and cry when I made the announcement.” – January 17, 2018.