Is Mahathir trying to rewrite history?

Raja Sara Petra

In July 2017, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad defended his August 1998 decision to sack Anwar Ibrahim and said he had no regrets doing so. Today, nine months later, Mahathir says it was wrong for him to sack Anwar 20 years ago. What is Mahathir trying to do? Is he trying to rewrite history? If he is then it is not going to work because whatever has happened over the last 20 years is on record and cannot be changed whatever new story Mahathir is trying to come out with.

Up to very recently Mahathir insisted that Anwar is an immoral person who is not fit to become Prime Minister. Since September 1998, Mahathir revealed what Anwar had done and even said that the police were aware of it long ago. Is Mahathir doing a U-turn because he cannot explain why Anwar is not fit to become Prime Minister from 1998 to 2017, and suddenly in 2018 he is now fit to become Prime Minister?

Maybe Mahathir feels silly that he now supports someone who he said is not fit to become Prime Minister as the next Prime Minister. How can Mahathir support Anwar as the next Prime Minister if Anwar is an immoral person? Mahathir is not trying to clear Anwar’s name. Mahathir is trying to clear his own name. He knows he looks silly condemning Anwar for 20 years and then now supports Anwar as the next Prime Minister. It will be Mahathir and not Anwar who will appear immoral.