LANGKAWI: The country does not need a crook, a traitor and a racist leader as the Prime Minister, said former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The pro-tem chairman of Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) claimed that the country would be ruined if the people entrusted the nation to be led by individuals with such characteristics in the 15th General Election (GE15) tomorrow.
"The three candidates cannot (become Prime Minister) because one is a crook, one is a traitor and the other accused Malays of being racist.
"I pray they don't win. The country will be ruined if the people elect them," he told reporters attending a "kenduri rakyat" at Taman Nilam here last night.
Dr Mahathir, 96, who is defending the Langkawi parliamentary seat for the second term said this when responding on the three prime minister's candidates for the GE15.
The candidates in the run for the 10th Prime Minister post are Barisan Nasional (BN) caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
On the move by certain groups declaring their open support for Anwar as the prime minister candidate, Dr Mahathir who is contesting under the Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) banner, said that should not happen.
"They should not have stated their position (supporting Anwar), but we understand that they (G70) made a statement without asking all the named professors.
"There were (professors) who supported and there were others who rejected and disagreed with the statement," he said.
Yesterday, it was reported that 102 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the Malay Muslim NGO Network declared their support for Anwar as the next prime minister.
Earlier, yesterday a group of 70 Malay professors known as the G70 had issued a statement expressing their support for the PKR president as the prime minister candidate.
However, several of the professors mentioned in the statement had denied that they had agreed to be included in the list, citing that they were apolitical.