Mahathir’s greatest worry if he dies next year: his children
Bush Senior has just died at age 94. Anwar quipped, going by that yardstick, Mahathir should go by next year. And that is how and when Anwar hopes to become Malaysia’s eighth prime minister. And this is what worries Mahathir. If he dies next year and Anwar takes over, what is to become of his children? Mahathir is concerned that once he is no longer around Kit Siang and Guan Eng will finish off his children.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad now regrets he listened to Lim Kit Siang who had suggested he form a new all-Malay political party. Initially, Kit Siang had managed to convince Mat Sabu and his ‘Team B’ to leave PAS and form a new splinter party. Mahathir, however, felt it was a wrong move and he was against a new all-Malay Umno splinter party.
This is not the first time that disgruntled PAS members have left the party to form a new party. In the past there were Berjasa (Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia: 1977) and Hamim (Parti Hizbul Muslimin Malaysia: 1983). Both, however, were more or less still-born. And now there is Amanah (Parti Amanah Negara: 2015). In fact, PAS itself was an Umno breakaway party that was formed in 1951.
Mahathir’s desire was never to kill Umno, like what Kit Siang wants to see happen. Mahathir merely wanted to take over and control Umno and for that to happen Najib first needed to be ousted. Mahathir realises that if he forms a new rival-to-Umno-party then he must kill Umno or else his new party will end up like Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s Semangat 46.
Last week, Tun Daim Zainuddin and Mahathir discussed how they have lost control of Pakatan Harapan. PPBM (Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia: 2016) no longer calls the shots and the cabinet ministers do what they want without abiding to the ‘common policy’. When they are reminded it was Mahathir who appointed them ministers, they responded that it was their respective parties and not Mahathir who made them ministers.
Daim told Mahathir they have lost control of Pakatan Harapan
In a way that is true. The parties are given the portfolios but it is their respective parties that forward their names for appointment as ministers. So Mahathir has really no say in who gets appointed (other than ministers from PPBM). The only control Mahathir has in cabinet appointments is for the post of deputy prime minister.
Kadir Jasin said Mahathir has spoken to Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy and Maszlee Malik regarding their blunders. But Moorthy and Maszlee are not the only two who appear to not be on the same page as the prime minister. Lim Guan Eng is actually the biggest problem of the lot but Kadir Jasin does not want us to know that Guan Eng no longer takes orders from Mahathir.
And this is what worries Mahathir. Guan Eng appears to be a runaway train. While Mahathir is trying to negotiate the defection of 30-40 Umno MPs, Guan Eng is sabotaging this effort. Mahathir wants to give those Umno MPs who want to cross over amnesty and immunity from prosecution. Guan Eng, on the other hand, has asked he police and the MACC to accelerate the cases against them. That is why a number of Mahathir’s people in Umno are finding themselves in court.
While Mahathir is enticing 30-40 Umno MPs to cross over, DAP is sabotaging that effort
DAP cannot afford for 30 or 40 Umno MPs to cross over to PPBM. That will give Mahathir the majority he desperately needs. With this majority he needs not hand over the premiership to Anwar Ibrahim in May 2020 as promised.
Anwar and Guan Eng, on the other hand, feel that even May 2020 is too long for Mahathir to stay as prime minister and that he should go by early 2019. Mahathir is getting very forgetful and before any meeting or press conference he needs to be reminded what he should and should not say. Mahathir even forgets his own decisions and the previous announcement he has made, even those as recent as the day before.
Take the anti-ICERD gathering on Saturday, 8th December 2018, as one example. Mahathir is anti-ICERD, which is opposite to the stand of most Pakatan Harapan people. The ICERD is based on the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which Malaysia never ratified. If Mahathir cannot agree to the UHDR why would he want to agree to ICERD?
This did not happen to the Petronas Twin Towers because Malaysia has the ISA, said Mahathir
Mahathir was angry with Najib Tun Razak when the Internal Security Act (ISA) was repealed. Mahathir once said if the United States also had the ISA then the Twin Towers or 911 tragedy would never have happened. Malaysia has the ISA, which is why the Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers (KLCC) is still standing while the one in New York is gone, said Mahathir.
When criticised about Malaysia’s miserable human rights track record, Mahathir said Malaysia cannot follow the western form of absolute democracy. Malaysia has what he called ‘guided democracy’. And this is because Malaysia is unique, argued Mahathir.
Mahathir does not share the views of the Pakatan Harapan democrats. He has no love for Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, or any other the other Pakatan Harapan leaders. In fact, Mahathir wants Muhyiddin Yassin to leave but Muhyiddin refuses to go. Muhyiddin said if anyone should go then it should be Mahathir who half the time cannot even remember what the cabinet has decided or what he said just a few hours earlier.
Anwar is not laughing with Mahathir but at Mahathir
Anwar is biding his time. He told his inner circle, “Let Mahathir enjoy his last Christmas as prime minister. Not even sure he is going to still enjoy Raya as prime minister or not.” Anwar knows he has at least half of PKR and most of DAP with him. All he needs are the MPs from Sabah and Sarawak to get his clear majority. And he is hoping that by promising to restore the spirit of the MA63 and give them 20% oil royalty (two things Mahathir will not agree to) he can swing Sabah and Sarawak to his side.
Anwar is not in a hurry. He knows he need not even wait until May 2020. He has spoken to the doctors in the IJN and they have told him they are worried that Mahathir is burning his candle from both ends. Some doctors have even refused to attend to Mahathir lest he dies on their watch and they would be blamed for it.
Bush Senior has just died at age 94. Anwar quipped, going by that yardstick, Mahathir should go by next year. And that is how and when Anwar hopes to become Malaysia’s eighth prime minister. And this is what worries Mahathir. If he dies next year and Anwar takes over, what is to become of his children? Mahathir is concerned that once he is no longer around Kit Siang and Guan Eng will finish off his children.
