CAIRO: Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed appears to be in campaign mode ahead of a planned election in the country, after he lashed at the opposition, saying that to follow Pakatan Rakyat (PR) calls for election observers would take Malaysia back to when the country was occupied. Speaking to reporters, Mahathir was commenting on opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's appeal for Australia to assist Malaysia in the next general election to make sure it will be corruption-free. Many citizens Bikyamasr.com spoke with agreed with the PR position, saying that if it made the election better then it would be helpful. “We have battled corruption greatly in this country and are doing a good job,” said Kuala Lumpur-based businessman Islam Hassan. “Why not have monitors from Australia, it makes no difference to us.” But Mahathir went further and questioned the opposition's ability to govern if elected. “If Pakatan rules, it will mean we have lost our independence, we have to ask the United States, ask Australia, ask everybody else," Mahathir said at a press conference after addressing the 3rd World Conference of Riba. The country's longest serving prime minister also claimed that PR's call for foreign election observers is an alleged attempt to “further destabilize and cause disarray in the country should they lose the polls. “If they lose they will hold demonstration about election fraud, government won because government cheated. “(They) want to riot like in the Arab countries so they can topple the government from outside the voting system," he added, referring to the Arab Spring revolutionary movement that swept the Arab world. Anwar's appeal had been rejected by Canberra, and Australia's Foreign Minister Bob Carr was reported by several local newspapers to have said: “We're not the election authority for Malaysia." “The Malaysian elections are a matter for the Malaysian people. It's very hard for Australia to do anything about how they're run, as hard as it would be for Malaysia or another government to have a say in how Australian elections are run," Carr was quoted as saying last week. Prime Minister Najib Razak had last week urged those with allegations of unfair elections to not embarrass Malaysia by asking foreign countries to “interfere" in the country's polls process. He said they should show proof of their allegations so that it can be corrected if proven true. “We want to do our best for Malaysia but (they) go… to Australia," Najib said, alluding to the opposition, adding that Australia had said that it was “none of their business." This is not the first time Mahathir has accused the opposition of trying to destabilise the country with the help of foreign powers. In June, the fourth prime minister wrote in his blog that the recent Bersih rallies for electoral reforms were “preparation to reject the results of the 13th general election should the opposition fail to win it." “Their defeat will be followed by violent demonstrations that will go on and on so that the election results are rejected and a new government is put in place, that is approved by the opposition," Mahathir wrote.
