CAMBRIDGE (Britain): Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that the circulation of Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong's semi-nude photographs was politically motivated.

"In Malaysia now, we're seeing a lot of dirty politics," the former Prime Minister said in response to claims that she was a victim of a political smear campaign.

He added that a lot of things were happening in Malaysia which was related to politics.

"This is bad because it's so easy to take pictures and get people into trouble," he told The Star after giving a talk on "Malaysia At The Crossroads" at Cambridge University on Wednesday.

Dr Mahathir added that whether Wong would eventually resign depended on her party although she had offered to do so.