Netizens have responded sharply to Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent remark that seems to take a jibe at the ruling party here.

Implying that the stunning election upset he led across the causeway may have a ripple effect in Singapore, in an interview with the Financial Times, Dr Mahathir said: “I think the people of Singapore, like the people in Malaysia, must be tired of having the same government, the same party since independence.”

Dr Mahathir’s bold remark comes amid widespread speculation that his recent victory at the polls may have a dampening effect on relations between Malaysia in Singapore. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that he met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for just 30 minutes after Lee travelled all the way to Putrajaya to congratulate him on his electoral win.

More recently, the 92-year-old’s announcement that Malaysia is pulling out of the widely anticipated KL-Singapore High Speed Rail project has contributed to talk that the strained relations Singapore and Malaysia shared before Mahathir retired and came back might return.

Netizens here, however, have not taken too kindly to the veteran politician’s comments. While some were indignant that Dr Mahathir has “no right to interfere” in politics here, others believed that he made the remark because he is possibly jealous of Singapore’s success and claim that he clearly does not wish Singapore well. Still others resorted to making personal attacks against Dr Mahathir:

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