KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has always been a faithful critic of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), has uncharacteristically chosen not to answer journalist questions on the debt-ridden state-owned investment fund at a press conference yesterday.

Dr Mahathir waved away questions when asked about his views on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s latest move to call for the auditor-general and the Public Accounts Committee to verify the accounts of 1MDB.

“No, it (1MDB) is not related to this,” Dr Mahathir told a press conference after the signing of a collaboration agreement between the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and Perdana University where he is the chancellor.

He said he would prefer to answer questions on the beleaguered investment fund “some other time”, suggesting that his regularly critical stance on 1MDB as well as Najib’s leadership in handling the matter has finally softened.

Just three days ago, Dr Mahathir obliquely criticised Umno grassroots leaders for showing solidarity and failing to censure Najib over issues that affect the political party and the country.

Last Wednesday, he also echoed his long dissatisfaction with 1MDB on his blog, saying: “I disagree with 1MDB and I will continue to criticise it and anything that I think is detrimental to the good governance of this country.”

On a separate issue, the long-delayed construction of Perdana University’s RM2.3 billion new campus will finally start this year after its board of governors decides where to build it.

“Currently, we have two pieces of land for the new campus. One of them is near our temporary campus in Serdang while the other one is in Putrajaya. We will make the decision on that in a month’s time when the board meets again,” Perdana University’s board of governors chairman Tan Sri Dr Mohan Swami told The Edge Financial Daily.

Perdana University was to build a world-class medical facility that would include two medical schools, a 600-bed teaching hospital and a Life Sciences Research Centre by 2014.

Mohan said the delay was due to time taken to convert the agriculture status of the two land parcels to institution status. However, the plan is now ready to proceed.

Perdana University itself is a public-private partnership initiated by the Economic Planning Unit within the Prime Minister’s Department and Academic Medical Centre. Building contractor Chase Perdana Sdn Bhd has a 80% stake in Perdana University, while Turiya Bhd owns the remaining 20%.

It was embroiled in a controversy last year when a foreign university partner, John Hopkins University (JHU), pulled out of a partnership after a four-year alliance, citing frequent late payments as the reason.

According to Mohan, Perdana University is currently negotiating with JHU for a resolution to the dispute but remains tight-lipped on the issues in dispute, saying they are confidential. He did, however, confirm that neither party is looking to file a legal suit yet.

Earlier at the event, Perdana University signed a 10-year collaboration agreement with UCSD, which involves the exchange of faculties, students and staff.

Mohan said Perdana University has “learned from the past” and is geared towards a “mutual and serious relationship” with UCSD.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 12, 2015.