Mahathir no longer represents Umno
Salleh Said Keruak
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad appears very confused about what his real motives are. On the one hand he says he opposes Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and wants Najib replaced because if not then Umno, and by extension Barisan Nasional, is going to lose the next general election.
If Najib is detrimental to the party and, therefore, he should be replaced, whom does Mahathir propose as the replacement? This, Mahathir will not state and he even said that it should not be Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
As Najib said last week in his interview with the Indonesian media, Mahathir is upset that his son, Mukhriz, has failed to climb the Umno ladder where he attempted to secure the Umno Youth leadership in 2009 and an Umno Vice President’s seat in 2013. This would be a prerequisite for Mukhriz to becoming the Deputy Prime Minister and in future the Prime Minister and that now appears impossible.
Mahathir hides behind the excuse that whatever he is doing he is doing so for the good of Umno. However, there is nothing that he is doing that is good for Umno. How can going into partnership with Lim Kit Siang, the man who hates Umno the most, and the rest of the opposition, be considered for the good of Umno? Is burning down the house an act of improving the house?
