A minister today cited envy as the reason for former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad saying that several agreements between China and Malaysia could undermine the nation’s sovereignty.

Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said Dr Mahathir was envious because Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had secured huge investments.

China is the second biggest economy in the world and its willingness to invest such huge sums in Malaysia showed its confidence in the stability of the country under Najib’s leadership, he said.

“The RM144 billion is a huge sum. It is not easy to secure so much in investments. All this while, he (Dr Mahathir) has been talking about investors lacking confidence in Malaysia,” he said to reporters at the Parliament lobby.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim said the agreements with China would not affect Malaysia’s rights in the South China Sea.

- Bernama