PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has admitted that she is displeased with the appointment of former IGP Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Mohd Noor as the facilitator for the southern Thailand peace talks.

The Deputy Prime Minister, however, said that it was Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s prerogative to make the appointment.

“He mentioned it to me that he thought Tan Sri Rahim had experience during the insurgency and terrorism activities. So I leave it to him, but I did explain to him why my daughter had reservations,” she said in an interview with radio station BFM on Thursday (Aug 30) morning.

Wan Azizah said it was important for the country to resolve the problem, and whoever was chosen for the role of facilitator had to deliver.

On Monday (Aug 27), Nurul Izzah Anwar, the Permatang Pauh MP, had, in a tweet, vehemently opposed Rahim's appointment, linking him to the 1998 “black eye" incident when her father and new PKR president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was punched by Rahim Noor while under police detention after being fired as the deputy prime minister.

It resulted in Anwar appearing in court with a black eye.

All this occurred during Dr Mahathir's first tenure as prime minister.

When asked if it was harder to forgive Rahim Noor compared to Dr Mahathir, Dr Wan Azizah said that it was easy for her to forgive.

"You know we have done well. There are many things to be grateful for, and I’ve always been syukur pada Allah (thankful to God).

“I feel that I can live with it. We are humans, we have our ups and downs but overall I think we have done well, especially my children. My husband too,” she said.