Mahathir the fading dinosaur

Umar Mukhtar

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad did not say that Najib Razak has to resign from being the Prime Minister because he could not prove that money was not lost from 1MDB, the company Najib directly sponsored with public funds.

Mahathir only said that it is because of Najib’s numerous blunders including 1MDB, that Najib’s leadership of UMNO/Barisan Nasional will cause it to lose the government in the 14th general elections in 2018, that Najib should resign. That’s the real No-No. You can mismanage hundreds of billions, be as corrupt, inefficient and as hypocritical as you want to be, but as long as you can still retain the government, that’s alright. Look at Mahathir!

It follows that if Najib can prove that he will definitely not lose the coming general elections, he is off the hook. If losing public funds is a terminal and unforgivable offence, then Mahathir would have been and should now be hanged because of the billions of ringgit of public funds he had caused to lose in the Foreign Exchange gamble, Malaysia Airlines, Perwaja, London Metal Exchange fiasco, and now another Proton bailout, to name a few.

So the 64-billion ringgit question is how to prove Mahathir wrong? That Najib will win the elections. That a majority of voters love the Barisan Nasional that Najib leads. That people don’t buy Mahathirism no more.

What is now obvious from the 2013 elections is that the Barisan Nasional that Najib inherits from Mahathir is way past its shelf life, so as to only garner 48% of the popular votes. Some may still have to vote BN because the alternatives are just unbearable choices to them, but that is a side point. Do not hold your breath for the opposition to come together.

Mahathir, looking from the beautiful picture windows of his mansion in his Argentinian ranch may not think Mahathirism is dead. He still believes that if everything else failed, play the race card. And the Malays will dutifully let themselves be pulled by the nose in defiant defence of their race plus a lot of accompanying noise. Time for the empty barrels to relish.

Mahathir understands that the present attempts to replace race with religion as a top personal priority among the new Malay generation, the obtrusive social media, the awakening of Chinese political thinking, and the restive people of Sabah and Sarawak, are tough challenges to an incumbent prime minister. But that goes with the job.

Just know your polity – not a tough thing. The Malays wear their hearts on their sleeves. As long as they are the majority race, manipulate their fears and what they deem dear to themselves, and you’ll come out on top to drive the herd to where you want them to go. That is now so embedded in their political DNA, that just a small tickling of their balls will erupt them into losing their heads.

If Najib can’t do that, then Najib is not of Mahathirism material. Hence the frenzy to remove Najib by Mahathir. To the megalomaniac, it is not Mahathirism’s fault, it’s the driver’s. Hold on and wait for Mukhriz Mahathir to grow up to carry on his father’s legacy. Money has already been set aside under Mokhzani Mahathir’s charge to buy Malay support.

But actually, Najib’s work is laid out for him. Mistake or not, he is in the driver’s seat. Prove that Mahathirism does not work, even for the Malays. Your hands are on the steering wheel and gears. Twist and turn, reverse and forward. Show the people what works for all, and then cruise home. Our hopes still rest with you, Najib.

Easier said than done? Only if you have hidden agendas. Otherwise it is easy, and Malaysians of all class and creeds will heartily support you. Return the government to the people. We used to call it REFORMASI, remember? Contrary to what it seems, it is not a bad word. Only spoiled by the person abusing it with hidden personal agendas. He is now locked away. It is now your turn to give life to that word, sir!

Your move will scare the crap of Mahathir! No need for these allegations and counter-allegations, wasting our time and your time, just go for the jugular. Favour the people. Return the government to the people! Jangan takut, Pak Chik, Mak Chik. Ini sumpah Pahlawan Bugis. RE-FOR-MA-SI !!!

Otherwise, sir, good-bye!