Dr M: What are they afraid of?

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is distributing a letter to Umno members, alleging that he is being deprived of the opportunity to speak to them.

"What are they afraid of? This is what worries me. I think they are trying to hide something, that’s why they don’t allow people to hear," the former prime minister said after speaking at the Petaling Utara delegates meeting.

Over the past few months, Dr Mahathir has criticised the Government, saying that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reversed his policies and aborted some of his projects. He said then that he wanted answers from the Government why this was so.

In recent weeks, the attacks have become more personal. Dr Mahathir and his supporters have also alleged that the top leadership was preventing the former party president from speaking at the annual delegates’ meetings.

In his speech to Petaling Utara division members, he said that it was the present Government which offered to sell sand and allow Singapore use of Malaysian airspace, in exchange for the republic’s approval to build the bridge.

Records show that it was Dr Mahathir who put the issue of airspace on the negotiating table when he was the prime minister.

The issue of selling sand to the republic was raised by Singapore during negotiations with Malaysia last year.

Later at a Press conference, Dr Mahathir also read out excerpts from a few correspondences between him and former Singapore prime minister Goh Chok Tong to back his claim that the condition of airspace and sand was never included until Malaysia made the offer.

Not included in his explanation yesterday was the context in which Goh’s letter was issued. The then Singapore prime minister’s offer for Ma-laysia to go ahead and build a new bridge on its side was withdrawn after Dr Mahathir decided to end discussion on the package of outstanding bilateral issues.

Goh conveyed Singapore’s new position to Dr Mahathir in a letter.