SOCIAL media users on Facebook criticised former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for promising to restore democracy and rule of law should Pakatan Harapan (PH) win the 14th general election.

In an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Insight published this morning, Dr Mahathir, who is now chairman of the opposition coalition, said they will restore the independence of the judiciary and institute reforms to provide more check and balance on the three branches of government.

This, however, did not go down well with several Facebook users including Zulhilmi Zoul, who called it the “joke of the year”.

“Orang yang menghancurkan badan kehakiman masa krisis 1988 nak janji kukuhkan badan kehakiman,” he wrote in the comments section. (The person who destroyed the judiciary during the 1988 crisis now promises to strengthen the judiciary.)”

“Joke of the year, bila nak undi, semua benda manis dan janji langit dan bumi. (Joke of the year, when it comes to votes, all sweet nothings and promises of heaven and earth.)”

Another Facebook user, Mark Goh, holds Dr Mahathir responsible for the country’s current situation and finds it hard to trust him. He said Dr Mahathir provided the tools for his protégé to use and abuse, in a reference to embattled prime minister, Najib Razak.

“You can say what you want now. But the fact is you were the one who is responsible for all we have now. Your protégé is just using the set of tools and foundation you gave him to further consolidated his hold and power,” Goh wrote.

“How do you want us to trust you? I suppose we can’t..but what choice do we have anyway other than hope.”

User Keith Chin puts the lack of trust down to politics and encouraged the people to be savvy and discerning of what politicians say.

“Politics…the reason why people don’t trust those in power is exactly this,” he said.

“But if it serves the needs of the people, we as the rakyat should learn to be streetwise too. We use politicians as much as they use us.”

Meanwhile, Isaac Khaw only responded with an unimpressed looking emoticon sticker while Ezarat Cheah expressed his disbelief by saying, “I must be dreaming!” 

Other commenters also weighed in, saying that Dr Mahathir is now facing the consequences of his actions and people won’t be fooled so easily.

Being Salau Shook-Alden: “itu lah lu what goes around comes around, u reap what u sow neither a fan of both (Dr Mahathir and Najib).”

Rahim Yusof: “You can fool some people sometimes but you can’t fool all the people all the time.”

However, one user, Matthew Chung, is hopeful that Dr Mahathir can lead the opposition to victory in GE14.

“Dear doctor, to err is human, to admit and to say sorry is divine! Another small step our good doctor can do before the next election that can trigger a tsunami for the opposition,” Chung wrote in the comments.

Many believe Dr Mahathir was responsible for curtailing the power of the judiciary during his tenure as prime minister.

In 1988, then Lord President of the Supreme Court Salleh Abbas was dismissed and five Supreme Court judges were suspended, effectively crippling the court system and sparking a judiciary crisis.

The Bar Council had condemned the sackings then. It later called for a review of the 1988 judicial crisis after Dr Mahathir admitted in 2006 he had told Salleh to resign or be dismissed.

In the same year, the Federal Constitution was amended to remove the term “judicial power” from Article 121(1) of the Federal Constitution, weakening the courts. – August 4, 2017.