Former lawmaker Kasthuri Patto launched an acerbic broadside against Dr Mahathir Mohamad, stating that the 97-year-old politician does not possess the moral authority to comment on curbing dissent.

She recalled how her late father P Patto, who was a DAP MP, had been detained under the now-defunct Internal Security Act (ISA) during the infamous Operasi Lalang in 1987 when Mahathir was serving his first tenure as prime minister.

“I am a child of your Operasi Lalang which you bear...