TTF: Mahathir, correct me if I’m wrong – you’re attempting to reposition the Malays at the vanguard of national politics by evoking the need for reform in their minds.
You see PKR to be a stumbling block to your mission and realise, that none of your successors made a conscious attempt towards eliminating the Anwar factor and reuniting PKR with UMNO.
You came to terms with the fact that the culture of arrogance and corruption you yourself encouraged among UMNO warlords had grown to cancerous proportions, proportions that led to the Malay struggle being completely abandoned, much to joy of the DAP.
You realised, that the only way you could undo the damage was to claim the moral high ground by rebranding yourself as a “reformed soul,” a soul whose sole mission was to eradicate corruption by bringing down the “haughtily corrupt elitists.”
You knew that these elitists were “cryptically detached” from the real world and treated UMNO as if it belonged to their wives and children.
You decided that the first step forward would be to work with the DAP on the pretext that the party had reformed.
By doing so, you hoped to temporarily eliminate a key factor that defined the Malay struggle among scores of Malays, who, despite being disillusioned by UMNO, saw no alternative but to keep voting for the party.
You knew that these Malays were hesitant to vote for PKR as party leaders were seen rubbing shoulders with Kit Siang, a man you spent decades branding as racist and anti-Islam.
By working with him, you convinced these Malays that if you were willing to lower your guard, it could only mean that the DAP stalwart was a reformed man, meaning, the Malay struggle was truly ‘over’.
To bring these Malays permanently to your side, you reconciled with Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, sending them a clear message that PKR “was on the right track all along.”
That effectively turned “reformasi” into your own struggle.
While the accumulation of these factors did help you score an unprecedented victory during the 14th general election, Pakatan is but three seats away from a total collapse, or thirteen, if you consider Members of Parliament (MPs) from Warisan and Sabah who are friendly towards you.
It follows, that the only way you can consolidate your base in Pakatan is if you eliminate UMNO and absorb as many of its MPs as you can into PPBM.
Once accomplished, the only problem you’d have left is Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
You’re aware, that PKR subsisted on grounds that it needed to eradicate the culture of of arrogance and corruption that UMNO brought to government, a culture Datin Ser Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail herself went on record to refer to as Mahathirism.
Mahathirism is your culture.
But given that “reformasi” is now also your culture, the minute UMNO vanishes, there would no longer be a need for PKR to “oppose your culture,” but to work with you towards “realising your mission.”
That automatically translates into checkmate for Anwar.
Accordingly, it would only be a matter of time before he decides to cross swords with you and brings about Pakatan’s demise.
That’s probably your biggest concern at this very moment, which is why you need to get as many UMNO MPs as you can to cross over into PPBM or merge the the two entities together after getting the next UMNO president to sack a number of “corrupt” MPs.
I see where you’re going with this.
I see why you did what you did and why it is impossible for you to name your successor (see news item below).
I’m not here to tell you that I’m happy with what you did or that I believe you’re godsend to help mankind.
I’m here to tell you that no matter who you are or what you did, your actions have revealed to the Malays that UMNO is no longer relevant to them.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that its leaders are more concerned with the quest for dominance than they are the Malay struggle, or for that matter, the need to uphold the sanctity of Islam.
Instead of rebranding UMNO and working towards the unification of Malays, they’re more concerned with under-the-counter deals that can guarantee them a return to power and maintain their lifestyles.
UMNO has indeed grown into a cancer.
There is no need for me to tell you where to go from here, as you probably got that part figured out long before you decided to embark on a “save Malaysia campaign” together with Kit Siang and gang.
I do, however, need you to know, that there is some stuff you forgot to consider, stuff that is bound to come back and haunt you…
To be continued…
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says that he cannot give any guarantee on the people picked to be his successor.
He said that he will one day leave and a replacement will take over his post.
“I cannot guarantee. When I picked Abdullah (former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi), I thought he was good because he was religious, but look at what he did.
“Then, his replacement was Najib (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak), Tun Razak’s (second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein) son, an icon. Surely he will be good.
“But look what has happened,” he said during the Bicara Minda Sinar Harian forum, which was moderated by journalist and former Media Prima chairman Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar here yesterday.
Dr Mahathir said he could only promise that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will take over when he resigns as prime minister.
Dr Mahathir also described the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as an act of “extreme cruelty”.
Malaysia, he said, does not support the killing of government critics.
“This is extreme cruelty, and it is not acceptable. We too have people that we do not like, but we don’t kill them.
“Last time I too was one of those people who were not liked. If we have a system like the Arabs, maybe we too will be unable to speak (freely) today,” he said.
Khashoggi, a columnist with the Washington Post, went missing after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct 2.
Regarding the court charges against Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Dr Mahathir said the former deputy prime minister must show proof that he has not done anything wrong and that his case was not politically motivated.
“Show proof if he did not do anything wrong, if the 45 charges were made up.
“If he shows that he did not steal any money and that people were the ones that gave him the money, then show proof and the documents.
“Only then they can accuse us (the government) that we are indicting them because it is politically motivated,” he said.
Dr Mahathir said the charges were filed by Attorney General Tommy Thomas and not by him.
He added that Thomas would have filed the charges against Dr Ahmad Zahid because he had proof, and that such evidence would also have to be accepted by the court.
“If the charges had no proof and it went to the court, then the lawyer will win,” he said.
Last Friday, Dr Ahmad Zahid claimed trial to 45 charges of money laundering involving RM72mil and criminal breach of trust and accepting bribes involving RM42mil.
However, some Umno supporters have hurled accusations that the charges were a form of political persecution and “revenge” by Pakatan Harapan.
Source: The Star Online
