Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has always been outspoken, whether as a student at the University of Malaya in Singapore or during his early years of work during the Japanese Occupation.

My father, a Mahathir supporter and someone who knew him quite well in his younger days, said Mahathir used to "put up anti-Japanese posters at night". If he had been caught, he would have been beheaded in the Japanese way.

From the university, he wrote a regular column under the pen-name Che Det in a local newpaper. Speaking up for what he believes to be true and right was a signature trait. We used to admire his ability to call a spade a spade, except now when this is trained against us. It feels pungent!