Mahathir hospitalised 47 times in three years
Not many are aware that over the last three years Mahathir has been hospitalised 47 times. In 2015 it was 12 times, in 2016 it was 25 times, six times last year, and this year alone it has been four times so far. Mahathir has spent a shocking eight months out of 38 months in hospital. And it has now become more frequent with Mahathir requiring hospitalisation every month. On top of that he can work only four hours with a day off in between. Hence his work capacity is not more than 10-12 hours a week out of a 60-80 hour week.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Kwong Wah Daily wrote a very good analysis on why Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is so opposed to 1MDB. Of course, Mahathir says it is because Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak stole RM42 billion of 1MDB’s money (Mahathir used the word lesap or disappeared into thin air). The truth, Kwong Wah Daily said, is something else.
This was what Kwong Wah Daily wrote:
Have we ever pondered why Mahathir is so scared of 1MDB and wants so much to destroy it? It is because the primary objective of setting up 1MDB was to resolve the mess of unfair contracts with the 22 expressway concessionaires and the 18 independent electricity generating companies (IPPs) left behind by Mahathir.
We all know that these contracts are even worse than the treaties signed with the invading eight-nation allied forces to China. A two-ringgit registered company could secure the expressway contract with a government guaranteed bank loan, allowing regular adjustment of the toll rates for a period of 30 years.
On the IPP issue, Tenaga Nasional has been forced to buy up all the electricity generated by the IPPs every day. I do not say this. It was DAP representatives who have been talking about it. They could have stopped it recently.
Why is Mahathir insisting that Najib must step down? Why does Mahathir only want to go for it for two years? Is it because he wants to support these concessionaires for another 30 more years? I won’t say much here. You can think over it.
1MDB is taking back what Mahathir stole from the rakyat
What Kwong Wah Daily did not say, for fear of being sued, is that many of those privatised projects are being held under trust by Mahathir’s proxies or nominees. Tan Sri Ani Arope, one-time executive chairman of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), revealed this in his memoirs. On 20th December 2014, Free Malaysia Today reported as follows:
In his memoirs published last year, the late Tan Sri Ani made explosive disclosures about government collusion in power blackouts that took place in 1992 that led to crony companies becoming independent power producers to Tenaga Nasional at higher rates than Tenaga’s own production.
Ani wrote that Tenaga could produce power at 8 sen per unit (or kiloWatt-hour), delivered to the consumer at 17 sen a unit. However, independent power producers pegged their rate at 23 sen, which would cause Tenaga to charge consumers at least 30 sen a unit.
Ani revealed that he had been pressured into signing a deal surrendering Tenaga land to third parties for power plants. “There was no negotiation; absolutely none. Instead of talking directly with the IPPs, TNB was sitting down with the EPU (Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department). And we were harassed, humiliated and talked down every time we went there. After that, my team was disappointed. The EPU just gave us the terms and asked us to agree. I said no way I would.”
Ani Arope revealed how Mahathir’s 18 IPPs robbed the rakyat of billions every year for 30 years
That, of course, is one of many reasons why Mahathir wants Najib out. The second and more important reason is Mahathir sees Najib as an obstacle to Mukhriz becoming Prime Minister. Then there is the RM100 billion that Mahathir has parked under his trustees, nominees, proxies and cronies, which he cannot get back unless and until Najib is kicked out and he (Mahathir) takes over as Prime Minister.
Mahathir said he needs only two years and then he is prepared to hand over power to his successor. And who is that successor going to be? It cannot be Anwar Ibrahim since Anwar will not be eligible to hold office until after June 2023. Hence, in the meantime, it will have to be someone else and Mahathir wants it to be Mukhriz.
But why only two years? Why not five years until Anwar can take over?
The Prime Minister’s new office in Putrajaya
First of all, if Mahathir waits five years and then hands power to Anwar, that will mean Mukhriz can never become the Prime Minister. More importantly, Mahathir is not expected to survive five years so he needs to hand over power as soon as possible, while he is still alive, to make sure that the successor is his choice and not DAP’s choice. If it is DAP’s choice then it is not going to be Mukhriz.
Not many are aware that over the last three years Mahathir has been hospitalised 47 times. In 2015 it was 12 times, in 2016 it was 25 times, six times last year, and this year alone it has been four times so far. Mahathir has spent a shocking eight months out of 38 months in hospital. And it has now become more frequent with Mahathir requiring hospitalisation every month. On top of that he can work only four hours with a day off in between. Hence his work capacity is not more than 10-12 hours a week out of a 60-80 hour week.
So, do you think Mahathir can be Prime Minister for five years? The question is whether he can even stay as Prime Minister for the two years he says he will stay. That is why Mahathir said he wants to be Prime Minister for only two years. He knows that is all he can survive. Plus he needs just two years to sort out his finances and to make sure that Mukhriz can take over as Prime Minister. And in just two years Anwar will not yet be able to claim the throne so Mukhriz is safe.
