As Mahathir continues to snipe, Mukhriz could be the first casualty

By admin-s On Apr 17, 2015

He must make up his mind: siding with his father or expressing support for Najib. He cannot have the best of both worlds.

Aziz Bari, The Ant Daily

Obviously there are many things that can be said about the attacks made by Dr Mahathir Mohamad against Najib Razak. But I would just confine myself to some of the issues that are of constitutional importance.

For one thing, the attack is not just a snipe against a party leader but more importantly, it is about a government whose policies have come under attack.

Malaysians have every right to know how the ministers think about BR1M and 1MDB, some of the policies that have come under intense attack from Mahathir as well as his supporters like Daim Zainuddin.

More importantly, the electorate have the right to know where the ministers stand as far as those issues are concerned. This is the rationale for the constitutional doctrine of collective responsibility for Cabinet members.

Other issues such as freedom of expression or whether the policies are good or otherwise are not relevant. This is because the moment an MP accepts a ministerial office he or she is bound by the doctrine. Without the doctrine, it would be hard to make the sitting government accountable for its action.

As such, Umno Youth chief and Minister of Youth and Sports Khairy Jamaluddin was right to have come out strongly saying that he preferred 1Malaysia over Vision 2020. The former is the slogan created by Najib while the latter is the brainchild of Mahathir.

Khairy has indicated where he stands as far as Mahathir vs Najib is concerned. Previously Hishammuddin Hussein, an Umno vice-president and minister of defence, has also come out strongly defending Najib who happens to be his cousin. For the record both Najib and Hishammuddin are sons of former prime ministers.

Unlike Hishammuddin and Khairy, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin, obviously a key member of the Cabinet, is still unclear as to where he stands. He was seen wobbly when reporters asked him about the live interview given by Najib to take on the attacks mounted by Mahathir. But this is not too surprising given that Muhyiddin is already on a different page as far as Najib’s 1Malaysia is concerned.

Questions have also been asked about Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir, a son of Mahathir. Technically, Mukriz is not bound by the doctrine of collective responsibility, especially in the manner this constitutional principle binds Muhyiddin, Hishammuddin or Khairy.

However, modern politics is now at a stage where the implication of such doctrine has gone beyond Cabinet members. It appears that now this doctrine is applicable to all party leaders and key figures. This is difficult to avoid as in the general elections, political parties are being voted in and out of office due to their policies.

It goes without saying that policies such as 1Malaysia, BR1M and even 1MDB also apply to the state. Politically, Mukhriz is in office due to his father’s clout and influence. He lost to Khairy in the contest for the Umno Youth leadership.

Mukhriz has also lost out to Hishammuddin in the battle for the third and last seat of the party’s vice presidency.

Technically, Mukhriz is out of Najib’s reach as the former is not a member of the federal cabinet headed by the latter. But politically Mukhriz is very much at Najib’s mercy. Just look at how Najib dealt with the blows unleashed by Mahathir.