Don't dream you're being like Dr M in 1969 - Wan Saiful to Boo

Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan has called on fellow Pakatan Harapan component party DAP to show Johor DAP committee member Dr Boo Cheng Hau the door for calling on Dr Mahathir Mohamad to step down as prime minister.

Wan Saiful dismissed Boo's justification for the call, labelling the latter as "publicity crazy".

The DAP man said his actions were within his "democratic" right and no different than Mahathir asking the nation's first premier Tunku Abdul Rahman to do so back in 1969.

"Boo must realise that his position is so far removed from that of Mahathir's status (in 1969). Mahathir and the late Tunku were two big names in national politics.

"What is this dream of his to equate himself to the two icons' situation?" Wan Saiful said in a statement.

While the ruling Harapan coalition celebrated diversity in opinions, airing one's opinion must be done with discipline and in building a "family spirit" and not, he said, with the aim of tearing it down.

He further chastised Boo's action in coming at a time when the Harapan machinery was gearing up for the coming March 2 Semenyih by-election.

He added: "[…] does Boo want to the sabotage of Harapan? If he prefers to trouble those of us who are busy in Semenyih, better he quit DAP or for DAP to sack him as it is clear he only knows how to muddy the waters instead of help."

In a statement today, Boo had defended his action in calling on Mahathir, who is also the Bersatu chairperson, to quit for belittling Harapan's election manifesto pledges.

The former Skudai assemblyperson was responding to another Bersatu supreme council member, Muhammad Faiz Na'aman, who described Boo's remarks as “insolent” and “treacherous”.

"I have respected Mahathir's resilience as a senior politician [...] even though I have never fancied his ideological values. Mahathir himself and Umno Youth called for Tunku's resignation too, which should be taken as part-and-parcel of a democracy,” Boo had said.