PUTRAJAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today admitted that his attempt to convince the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to act on the Dr Mahathir-Lim Kit Siang Declaration had failed.
The former prime minister said he had an audience with the King in Kedah for more than an hour to discuss the declaration - which supposedly bore 1.2 million signatures - and the relevant laws as provided by the Federal Constitution related to the King's rights.
Asked to divulge what transpired in the meeting, Dr Mahathir declined to do so, saying that it was done in confidence.
"I cannot repeat it as this was (done) in confidence. What we have requested for cannot be implemented. Why? I don't know.
"We had a long discussion. He asked me about the provisions of the law which I had explained. But in the end, I could not convince him," he told reporters today.
Dr Mahathir is appealing to the Rulers when they meet in the upcoming Conference of Rulers to deliberate on the petition and act in favour of the declaration.
He added the declaration group had sent out letters on the matter to all state heads.
Dr Mahathir claimed that the declaration had been screened and 500,000 signatures had been struck out from the declaration, leaving "only 1.2 million signatures."
In early June, a police report was lodged against fake signatures supposey contained in the declaration.
Freelance programmer Azharuddin Othman was reported saying he had sold over the details of Malaysian citizens to a third party for the Dr Mahathir-Lim Kit Siang Declaration.