IT is disappointing that Dr Mahathir Mohamad is dividing the people and inciting racial sentiment with his remarks, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said today.

He said it was unbecoming of a former prime minister to resort to such a political gambit.

“What Dr Mahathir is saying and doing now is something that saddens all,” Loke said at the Penang DAP annual convention at Butterworth Arena.

“It is not in line with his position as a former prime minister and statesman, who is supposed to unite the people of Malaysia.

“Instead, he is seen as causing disunity among the races.

“We hope that he can play a more constructive role rather than issuing statements every day, which is seen as not helping but rather fanning racial sentiment. This is not good for the country.”

He said Dr Mahathir was wrong to suggest that Malays were losing political power under the unity government.

“There is no such thing as a situation where Malays are losing their power,” he said.

“The prime minister is a Malay, the majority of ministers are Malays, the majority of institutions are helmed by Malays and even the Chief Secretary to the Government is a Malay.

“So where is it that the Malays are losing power? That is an old game by Dr Mahathir to scare the Malays.”

Dr Mahathir was set to take part in a Malay gathering today but that event had been cancelled due to last-minute cancellations of venues.

Last week, he cast doubt on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government, saying that it was unable to protect the Malays. – March 19, 2023.