PAKATAN Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad today urged Rafizi Ramli to persevere in his fight against wrongdoing, following the PKR vice-president’s 30-month jail sentence for revealing bank documents related to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) scandal.

In a video message uploaded on his official Twitter account @chedetofficial today, Dr Mahathir said in any struggle, one must be prepared for failure as well as victory.

“Don’t be disheartened. Our struggle may take time. We may win (or) we may lose.

“But the fight must go on for the sake of our race and our country,” said Dr Mahathir.

He also urged Rafizi to “strengthen his spirit” in the fight against a corrupt government.

The message is the first public recorded address from Dr Mahathir since he was admitted to the National Heart Institute on Friday for a chest infection.

In the video, the 92-year-old former prime minister appeared to be speaking from his office.

Last week, Rafizi and former Public Bank teller Johari Mohamad were found guilty of breaching the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) when they revealed the purchases of several luxury condominiums by the NFCorp’s directors.

NFCorp is owned by Mohamad Salleh Ismail, who is the spouse of Wanita Umno head Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. 

The RM250 million NFCorp was supposed to have bred 8,000 head of cattle by 2010, but failed to do so with only 3,289 animals bred by then, the auditor-general’s report said.

The project was supposed to enhance the country’s food security and reduce the need for beef imports.

While the court approved a request for a stay of the sentencing pending an appeal, lawyers said the conviction will end Rafizi’s chances of standing in the next general election. – February 12, 2018.