Reveal election spending during your time, Nazri dares Dr M

Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz has challenged Dr Mahathir Mohamad to disclose the election expenditure for the 22 years when the latter was prime minister.

"Mahathir ruled the country through five general elections. I want to know how much he collected, spent, and how much was left.

"When I contested and he was Umno president and prime minister, I never asked him where he got the money, but he asked (Prime Minister) Najib (Abdul Razak) and made him look like a crook," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

As for the RM2.6 billion in Najib's account, the Umno supreme council member said there was nothing wrong in the prime minister putting the sum in his personal bank account.

"And we know how much Najib had, how much he had left, and that he had returned the remainder.

"I want you to know that collecting election funds is not an offence, and putting it in a personal bank account is also not an offence," he told Malaysiakini at the sidelines of the TN50 dialogue held at the National Academy of Arts, Culture, and Heritage in Kuala Lumpur today.

Saudis believe Najib's clean

He said Najib is a clean leader because the transactions in his accounts can be seen clearly.

"If Najib had been lying about his election funding, do you think the Saudi king would come? But he did come. Najib is clean. Now I want to ask Mahathir, who (led BN during) five elections. Najib had only one," he said.

Najib said the RM2.6 billion was a donation from a Saudi royalty, and attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali, in clearing the prime minister of any wrongdoing in the matter, revealed that US$620 million was later returned to the donor.

However, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) suits related to 1MDB had claimed that a "Malaysian Official One (MO1)" had received US$731 million which originated from the troubled firm.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan later confirmed that MO1 is Najib, but pointed out that since he was not named, the prime minister was not the subject of investigation.

Mahathir and Najib's critics have insisted that the prime minister had received 1MDB funds.

'Fat' dig very 'low class'

Meanwhile, Nazri said he had received RM200,000 from Umno prior nomination day of the 13th general election up to polling day, and BN had given the same amount to all candidates.

"That's part of the RM2.6 billion donation. You have to understand that the party president has to pay RM99 million including a RM10,000 deposit and RM200,000 spending money to each BN candidate.

"Then you have to pay RM5,000 deposit and RM100,000 spending money for state assembly seats and BN contested in all 500 seats, so the total comes to RM99 million that the party has to pay for to face the election," he said.

Nazri also took a swipe against Mahathir for uttering "I do not want to become fat like some people... like someone's wife", which some view as an attempt at fat-shaming Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor.

He said Mahathir should not have said so, because it amounts to a personal attack.

"You see that old man, 92-years old but very low class with his personal attacks. Don't let it get to personal attacks.

"He is not that handsome, and moreover he is short. There is no need to pay attention what he said," he said.

Mahathir had denied fat-shaming anyone in his speech.- Mkini