COMMENT | He was never one to hide his haughtiness. When things do not appear to be going his way, threats and intimidation are his weapons.

As the then home minister in 2013, he wielded a lot of power, especially since his party had an iron grip on the government and he could revoke the licences of newspapers.

He threatened to shut down newspapers after an audio recording of his speech made at an Umno meeting went viral.

In it, he also endorsed the Tiga Line underworld group, calling them his friends and urging them to do what they needed to do.

His speech then veered to statements with racial undertones.

“The largest drug dealers are Chinese, the smaller ones are Indians, and the users are Malays. In internet gambling, the bosses are Chinese, operators are Indians, and the patrons are Malays," he declared.

A year later, he was it again...