KUALA LUMPUR: Look in the mirror, PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has told Tan Sri Tommy Thomas (pic).
This follows a statement by the former attorney general recently, asking Anwar to look in the mirror and ask himself, why he had not become prime minister until now.
Anwar explained that Thomas should look back at his time as attorney general and some of his controversial decisions and statements.
“He should look in the mirror because when he was attorney general and in his book (My Story: Justice in the Wilderness), there were many racist elements, insulting the capabilities of civil servants including the Attorney General’s Chambers by labelling it extreme.
“It can’t be that way. They (civil servant) all can’t be unqualified,” he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian.
He said this was a colonial mindset that must be rejected, he told the media after the launch ceremony for the three-book 65th Merdeka Combo by Datuk Seri A Samad Said at the World Trade Centre here on Sunday (June 12).
In a previous interview with a Chinese-language daily, Thomas had asked Anwar to reflect and look back at why he failed to be the prime minister until now.
Anwar also slammed Thomas for accusing the second prime minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, as a cause of the May 13, 1969 race riots.
“As a former attorney general, Thomas did not know what his role was and accused Tun Razak without evidence. If he brings evidence, no problem.
“This also includes murder cases that are still in court but he shared his views while he was the attorney general at the time,” he said.
Meanwhile, commenting on his failure to be prime minister, Anwar said he would definitely be the premier if he had compromised his principles.
“I would have definitely been prime minister if I compromised on ‘bail outs’, said yes to corruption and said yes to interfering with the courts.
“Is this a failure? To me, it is a principled stand to respect the law,” he said.