TERKINI: AKHIRNYA MAHATHIR MENGAKU BERTANGGUNGJAWAB ISU "OPS LALANG" - Mengaku dia sudah tua, 89 tahun, mungkin terlupa"

Dr Mahathir remembers now he’s responsible for Ops Lalang.

BY LEE SHI-IAN  


Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) said today he took full responsibility for the 1987 Ops Lalang, even though the decision may have been made by someone else.

Malaysia's longest serving premier said this today after earlier claiming that he had been in China when Ops Lalang was launched.

"Well, if I made a mistake, I made a mistake. I am an old man. I am 89 years old, so I am prone to forgetting," Dr Mahathir said.

"Even if the decision was made by someone else, it was in the Cabinet. I accept responsibility. We did what was needed to ensure peace and stability in Malaysia," Dr Mahathir told reporters at the International Islamic University in Gombak.

Previously, Dr Mahathir had denied responsibility for Ops Lalang, which saw more than 100 political leaders and social activists arrested and detained under the draconian Internal Security Act.

Last week, Dr Mahathir attempted to shift the blame to PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, claiming that the latter played a key role in the operation as a member of the administration at that time.

However, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang had issued a statement on Sunday ticking off Dr Mahathir for attempting to evade responsibility.

Lim pointed out that in 1987, Dr Mahathir was both the prime minister and home minister, which made him responsible for those detained under the preventive law. – February 18, 2014.

The Malaysian Insder.