Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad was notably absent at Bersatu's Jelajah Semarak ceramah in Ipoh tonight.

Apologising for his father's absence, Bersatu deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir said his father had been ill for over a week.

"Actually, Tun M had been sick for more than a week. He has a cough and high fever.

"Despite this, he has continued to attend events in the morning but due to doctor's advise, he can't attend events at night," he told the crowd.

However, a recorded message from Mahathir was aired at the ceramah.

Mukhriz in his speech addressed Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's claim that Umno's defeat would wreck (bangsatkan) the Malays...