DR Mahathir Mohamad today declared that he is not too old to be prime minister again, an issue being played up by his protege-turned-nemesis Najib Razak.

“It is wrong to assume that just because you are 93 years old, you can’t do the job,” said Dr Mahathir, who stepped down as prime minister 15 years ago and will turn 93 in July.

“Many people who live up to 100 can still think and use their brains,” he said during a surprise visit to the “Is Mahathir too old to be prime minister?” forum organised by Malay daily Sinar Harian.

Sinar Harian had invited Dr Mahathir to the event, but he did not respond.

Dr Mahathir, who sat in the front row facing the panellists, said in a Facebook post: “I’m here, guys. Say it to my face.”

The Pakatan Harapan chairman, who was named the pact’s prime minister designate last December, said at the forum that he is “willing” to be prime minister again after being “urged” to do so.

“I resigned 15 years ago. I also want to rest. I thought I could go on a cruise and enjoy life a little bit.”

He said his decision to re-enter politics came after “convoys” of Umno leaders asked him “to do something” about Najib in the fallout of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.

“I resigned, and it had no effect, and now, I have to participate in efforts to topple him, and I can’t do it by myself. It must be with a coalition.

“It was not easy, because they were all my political opponents before. They all called me ‘mahafiraun’, and I called them names, too.”

The panellists include fitness guru Kevin Zahri Abdul Ghaffar, psychologist Dr Mat Saat Mohd Baki and political analyst Kamarul Zaman Yusoff.

Shocked audience members stood to applaud when Dr Mahathir appeared with his wife, Dr Siti Hasmah Ali, an hour into the forum.

Asked by Kamarul Zaman why he initially proposed Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin as PH’s prime minister nominee, Dr Mahathir said before the coalition was formed, he had “no wish” to be prime minister again.

“Of course, he (Muhyiddin) has the capacity. I promoted him because I had no wish to be prime minister. But later on, a lot of people were asking me to do this, to do that.”

He said he found that he could still garner support, especially from rural Malays.

“In terms of the public reaction, the fact is, if I turn up at a rally, the number of people increases to 7,000 or 8,000. Once in Kelantan, there were 12,000 people. They sat there on the ground, despite Umno (holding an event nearby).

“After some time, we recognised that people, especially Malays, have warmed up to me much more than the other leaders.

“We (Bersatu) cannot be multiracial. Rural Malays still cannot accept a multiracial party. They need to be assured that the leadership will be (helmed by) a Malay leader.”

Dr Mahathir said accepting PH’s nomination of him for the post of prime minister was “a response to the pressure that I received from members of the coalition”.

“We all agreed that since I have more experience as a prime minister, I should lead. It was a very difficult decision for them to chose a man they disliked to be their leader.

“When they wanted to name me as the next prime minister, I recognised that it was a big struggle on their part.

“I understand. I have no hard feelings against them. But, I keep saying that we have to move together.”

Kevin Zahri attributed the opposition leader’s longevity to his enjoyment of “the life of of a political warrior” and good stress management.

“Of course, 93 is old. At that age, most people are already dead.

“As a Malaysian, I think Dr Mahathir is special. I find it fascinating that a 93-year-old man is still fighting for the country.”

While “anything can happen” at the age of 93, he said, Dr Mahathir seems to maintain a good diet and an active lifestyle.

“It is impressive that he has kept it up. But of course, the risk of something happening at his age is always there. So on paper, yes, he is old, but in reality, it is up to God.

“Stress is a very important factor. What kills us as we age is the wear and tear, which comes from stress.

“Dr Mahathir appears to be someone who is calm. He comes across as someone who is not hot-tempered. And when you’re calm, stress levels are lower.”

Kamarul Zaman, however, said Dr Mahathir is not the right man to lead the country again.

“PH always talks about change, but change is a young man’s game. And, change involves a lot of stress.

“To appoint someone as old as Dr Mahathir to bring progress is something that’s not acceptable to me.”

He said old politicians are becoming the exception nowadays, citing young leaders like Canada’s Justin Trudeau, who became prime minister at 44; Emmanuel Macron, who became the French president at 39; and, Sebastian Kurz, who became chancellor of Austria at 31.

Should PH win the 14th general election and take over Putrajaya, Dr Mahathir would be the oldest leader in the world. – March 22, 2018.