KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir, who had previously claimed that DAP had sought the post of deputy prime minister, has made yet another U-turn, this time claiming that it was MCA that had asked for the position.
Via a blog posting last night, the former prime minister corrected his earlier statement to say that it was MCA which had asked for the position, and not DAP.
"I was reported as saying that DAP had asked to have a second deputy prime minister.
"I wish to correct my mistake. It was not the DAP but it was the MCA," he wrote.
Dr Mahathir claimed that the request was made by MCA deputy secretary-general Datuk Loke Yuen Yow, who was also Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in 2009.
In his posting, Dr Mahathir also attached a report from the Information Department which had highlighted a request by Loke to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The report read: "Datuk Loke Yuen Yow, MCA Deputy Secretary-General, on his website, urged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to create the post of Second Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy BN Chairman which will be filled by its president to reflect true power sharing."
Loke further added that the post of second deputy prime minister for the MCA president is not just to realise the concept of power sharing, but to also show that the government places importance on the role and contributions of the Chinese community towards the process of nation-building.
Earlier this week, Dr Mahathir, who is also chairman of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), had said that DAP had sought the post of Deputy Prime Minister should the Opposition win in the 14th General Election.