KUALA LUMPUR - Dr Mahathir Mohamad, no stranger to acerbic commentary, professed yet again that his biggest regret were his choices of successors.

The former premier lamented having poor character judgement, citing the appointment of Anwar Ibrahim and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as his deputies.

"My greatest mistake is in the choice of people. I seem to be picking the wrong people all the time. They not only did not live up to my expectation but they went all out to do all the wrong things, including abusing me," he said in the latest to his regularly updated blog chedet.cc.

"I accept the blame for making wrong choices. But they were all so good before they were chosen," he added.

'Anwar was pious and holy'

Mahathir said Anwar, whom he sacked in 1997 for corruption, did not turn out to be what he had expected.

"Anwar was pious and holy almost. Before I admitted him into Umno no one told me of his peculiar inclinations," he said.

Anwar, a student of University of Malaya in the early 1970s, had been actively involved in Muslim students movement and was one of the founding members of the still active Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM).

Decades later, a year after his sacking, Anwar was charged and convicted for sodomising his step-brother Sukma Darmawan Sasmita Atmadja. In 2004, the Federal Court overturned the sodomy conviction.

Last week, Mahathir ridiculed Anwar’s appointment as Selangor economic advisor, saying he would bankrupt the Pakatan Rakyat-ruled state.

On 'Mr Clean' Pak Lah

"The other one was known as Mr. Clean. Well he and his family certainly did a lot of cleaning," said Mahathir, referring to his selection of Abdullah and the ensuing allegations of cronyism under the latter's administration.

Abdullah served as Mahathir's deputy from 1998 to 2003 and had led the ruling coalition to its biggest victory ever in the 2003 elections, sweeping 198 out of 220 Parliamentary seats.

"Awarding privatisation at inflated prices! Well the contract to double track and electrify the railways from Johor Bahru to Padang Besar was for RM14 billion (including the spur line to Kuala Lumpur).

It was cancelled by Abdullah.

"Then it was found necessary to double track and electrify from Ipoh to Padang Besar. I understand the price is RM12 billion. Work out the new cost if we build up to Johor Bahru," said Mahathir.

" I am not perfect. I make mistakes. But some of the wrongdoings attributed to me are just not true or correct," he said.

"We see what we want to see. Everyone is like that. So do I. But I try my best to be factual," he added.