Let Syrians decide their future, says Tun M

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad called on all quarters to let the Syrian people decide the fate of their country without any interference.

"Let the Syrian people decide whether to support or to topple their government... other people should not interfere," said Mahathir.

"The Malaysian government has taken the non-aligned stand because we don't really know what the Syrian people want...because some of them are supporting the government and others are supporting the rebels," he told reporters here yesterday.

Earlier, Tun Dr Mahathir and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, spent about an hour visiting the Red Carpet@i-City in i-City here.

He also noted that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) appeared to have different stands on the matter.

Meanwhile, Tun Dr Mahathir said he was not in favour of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) as it could lead to the country experiencing another economic crisis like the one in 1997 and 1998.

He said if the government were to sign the deal, he feared that the country would lose control of its currency, which would indirectly benefit currency traders.

"When this happens, it will put pressure on our currency and we will become poor. One of the reasons I'm opposed to the TPPA is that it may well lead to yet another currency crisis. That's why I hope the government will not agree to it," he said.