PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed calls to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize this year.
"Nobel prize? I am not so noble," quipped Tun Dr Mahathir at a press conference after the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's supreme council meeting on Monday (May 28).
A Change.org petition, comparing Dr Mahathir to anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela, was launched on Saturday (May 26) and has received almost 115,000 signatures as of Tuesday (May 29) noon.
Started by Alexandria Abishegam, the petition which was addressed to the Nobel Foundation, wants Dr Mahathir to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his determination to return to politics at age 92, and casting aside his political prejudices to work with his former detractors for the purpose of "saving our nation".
"The fact that Tun Dr Mahathir has also openly admitted his own faults and apologised for his mistakes of the past makes him truly a 'Giant of a Man' and a leader to emulate," the petition read.
The petition also celebrated the Pakatan Harapan chairman for helming a peaceful transfer of power and specifically stating that the new administration was not out to "seek revenge" against the previous administration of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
