KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has accused Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of abusing his power by threatening to release files on the misconduct of former Umno ministers.
He also claimed that there was an investigation paper against Anwar, though he admitted he has not seen it.
This comes after Anwar claimed the existence of a file revealing numerous irregularities committed by former Umno ministers during their tenure governing the country.
"This is an abuse of power... if you want to reveal, reveal everything. Reveal even the current ministers.
"I know there is an investigation paper against Anwar himself, although I have not seen it. The police told me when I was prime minister.
"Laws are made for everyone, not just for the opposing party. Are threats and actions like this allowed by democracy?" Dr Mahathir wrote in a social media thread.
He added that should a crime have taken place, legal action should be taken, adding that it is irresponsible for Anwar to use police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations for political threats.
Dr Mahathir questioned whether Anwar's current move to threaten the ministers and use investigation papers against them was also a part of the reformation for which the prime minister was fighting.
On another matter, he claimed that some Malay dignitaries were living in fear but refused to speak up for fear that they will be demoted or have their positions stripped.
"I found that many Malay dignitaries are in fear. They are not happy with the performance of the government due to many reasons. They said this when I met them but they refuse to join any movement that has the same opinion as them.
"Some are afraid that their position will be changed to a lower position, or stripped directly, some are afraid of their contract being revoked or interrupted... some are afraid that certain people will report to the police and the police will conduct an investigation," he said, adding that there were even threats to send a police car in front of their house.
Dr Mahathir said some of the Malay dignitaries are also afraid that they would be taken into police custody.