Tun M backtracking on own policies: Tengku Adnan

PUTRAJAYA: Umno secretary general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (pix) said the former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad seemed to be back-tracking on policies that he implemented during his tenure.
He said Dr Mahathir seemed to be changing his position according to what suits him best in the given situation.
"I don't understand Tun Dr Mahathir, it was he who did that (reducing rulers' powers) before and he asked us (Umno members) to support it.
"Now when the situation does not favour him, he said he was wrong. He promised freedom on the internet too, and when that became problematic he said he was mistaken as well.
"I don't understand him. Lets leave him in his own world," Tengku Adnan said after flagging off the 2016 Kembara Jalur Gemilang convoy at Perkarangan Istana Kehakiman, Presint 3, here today.
The important thing is, he said, that the government continues to provide a comfortable quality of life for the people and solve their grievances if there are any.
Tengku Adnan, who is Federal Territories Minister, said Dr Mahathir is doing everything he can to bring down the government and it is unbecoming of him to do so as a former prime minister and former Umno president.
Dr Mahathir, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, had recently apologised on his blog for amendments made to the Federal Constitution which allow laws to be passed without the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong's assent in 1994.
However, he said, the amendment to Article 66(4A) of the Constitution also stated that laws concerning certain subjects such as declaring a state of emergency must receive the Agong's assent as that is his power.
The National Security Council (NSC) Act was passed in both the lower and upper houses of Parliament despite many objections raised by Opposition politicians, civil rights activists, and lawyers.
Critics say the law, which gives the NSC, chaired by the Prime Minister, power to declare security zones where martial law apply, effectively usurped the Agong's power to declare a state of emergency.
The Conference of Rulers asked for changes to be made to the NSC Bill on Feb 17 but the law was given automatic assent on Feb 18 after 60 days had passed as per the constitutional amendments.
The contentious NSC Act was then gazetted as law in June and officially came into force on Aug 1.