Reformasi Riding Tiger By The Tail With Hands Smelling of Tiger Shit

Umar Mukhtar

It’s barely a week since Dr Mahathir Mohamad did a coup of sorts by effectively joining the opposition fold in order to get the numbers to remove Prime Minister Najib Razak. Apart from his resoluteness on removing Najib, he rationalised his surprising action in confusing ways several times in just in that seven days.

First he sort of agreed to government reforms. Then, the latest, he asked that the time during which there is solidarity to remove Najib be considered a time-out between him and the reformers so that they can quarrel again once Najib is removed.

Everybody will go back to original positions after Najib is removed. So he is not a born-again democrat after all. It was too good to be true. And who to replace Najib? An UMNO leader of Mahathir’s choice, probably. Mahathirism all over again!

First he embraced his enemies to convince them to sign the declaration. Then he adjusted his embrace as if the discomfort of embracing enemies brought back painful memories of hatred and prejudice. Anwar’s release is not part of the deal, he hesitated. Okay, so what’s the deal?

Just to remove Najib. His proposition was echoed by some opposition leaders realising that going to bed with this monster is untenable and indefensible. So just to remove Najib. Isn’t that the opposition’s wish too? Such happy campers!

But then why all the need for all the theatrics when Najib can be removed at PRU14? But Mahathir does not think that the opposition will be up to it and Najib will still be up there. What horrors! And now Mahathir is effectively marginalised as someone without a party. Even if the opposition wins, what is in it for Mahathir, anyway? Chief Reformist?

But if Najib is removed backdoor mid-term, Mahathir as the facilitator will have a lot of say, probably as a kingmaker. Wonder then what’s in it for the opposition? A tougher opponent at PRU14 probably. So why would the opposition work so hard to present Mahathir with this advantageous position? After all, you are to be enemies again.

So the opposition spin machine has been busy. It seems to their survey that a huge majority of Malaysians are for Mahathir’s declaration. How self-serving. The truth is Malay reaction to it is not muted. It evokes emotional responses ranging from ‘let’s forget the past, forgive and forget’, lesser of two evils, better not to support a rampaging tyrant, to genuine astonishment that the most Malay of Mamaks has shown his true colours, finally.

Let’s wait for a more professional survey results by a professional pollster group recognised even by the United Nations in the recent Burma elections and see what the people think of the hastily arranged front. The opposition is obviously at its wit’s for it to abdicate its responsibility to the man who created the mess in the first place.

So let’s see you ride this tiger and when it throws you off when it doesn’t need you anymore and your hands smell of tiger shit after hanging to its tail in desperation, don’t scream RE-FOR-MA-SI to the people anymore. It’s will sound like a losers’ shriek.