Dr Mahathir Mohamad has now taken his anti-Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak campaign across the South China Sea.
Speaking at an event in Tawau, Sabah, this afternoon, the former premier continued to rain brickbats.
He claimed that Najib cannot convince people to join a rally in support of him if money was not involved.
"It happened in Tawau, 50,000 people in Tawau gathered (to support Najib). But this is a made up number, they came because they were paid to,” he said.
A video of the speech was uploaded by blogger Din Turtle.
Mahathir appears to be referring to the 'Perhimpunan Solidariti Rakyat Sabah Bersama Perdana Menteri', in Tawau on May 10 where Najib invoked his Bugis roots and said he would not surrender to demands for him to quit office.
Reports stated that some 40,000 people attended the rally.
The stinging remarks came amid a Bernama report which said that Najib was given a hero's welcome by 1,000 supporters (photo) at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today upon his return from the US.
'We have our dignity'
Mahathir said despite advising against it, Najib believed that cash is king.
But the former premier said people are not so easily bought.
"We can't be bought by money. We have our dignity, our love for race, religion and country. The price of this is not RM500," he said, mocking the 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) scheme.
Mahatir then reiterated his caustic remark that Najib's predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi managed to win more votes during the 12th general election while snoozing and not spending any money.
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