KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has met Coordinating Minister for the National Recovery Plan (NRP) Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz and offered him ideas and suggestions on how to handle the Covid-19 crisis in the country.
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Online news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT) reported Dr Mahathir as saying that Tengku Zafrul was the one who approached him for ideas related to tackling the pandemic.
FMT reported that Dr Mahathir during an online interview with comedian Harith Iskandar had said that Tengku Zafrul specifically asked him how to address the rising number of Covid-19 cases.
“I answered a lot of questions on how to handle the SOPs, for example, and on vaccines. Whatever he asked, I answered truthfully.
“He listened to me and jotted it down in his notebook. I hope he will carry out some of my ideas,” he was quoted as saying.
On July 10, Dr Mahathir revealed that Tengku Zafrul, who is also the finance minister, had reached out to him to schedule a meeting.
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During the meeting, Tengku Zafrul gave Dr Mahathir a Quran as a gift.
However, Dr Mahathir also clarified that he was not offered any official position to assist the NRP.
“He gave me a Quran as a gift, a very nice gift, but no invitation to join. I suppose he wants to do it without me at all,” he said.
Dr Mahathir reportedly said if he were invited to be part of the NRP in whatever capacity, he would be willing to resign from Parti Pejuang Tanah Air, the political party which he founded.
“I would like to give my full effort to solving the Covid-19 problem. I don’t have to be in Pejuang even. Pejuang will carry on,” he added.-Malay Mail