Mahathir’s do-or-die battle
Tan Poh Kheng, Malay Mail Online
Some of the things in the world should be done only once, as repetition will kill all the novelty and momentum.
It is hard to tell now whether Mahathir will go back to Umno after some time. When he last left the party in 2008, he said he would return as soon as Abdullah was out of office. And indeed when Najib took over the following year, Mahathir rejoined the party he once led.
Mahathir repeats his old trick this time, vowing that he will be back the moment Najib is out.
The question is: the country’s political environment is very much different today from 2008. Although Mahathir caused some ire criticising then PM Abdullah, his departure still managed to create some waves given his 22 years in office.
But this time, even with the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation scandals, PM Najib is by no means the same type of soft-spoken and indecisive leader like his predecessor. Even though there is some day when Najib will eventually be replaced, it remains to be seen whether Mahathir will have the chance of going back to Umno.
His second departure has so far failed to create waves among the 3-million-strong Umno members, which is well within anticipation. That said, the harsh reactions from several Umno ministers have indeed opened our eyes to the crude and ugly face of the country’s political reality.
These Umno leaders have said in unison they are not surprised by Mahathir’s move to quit the party since he has done the same before. Some say no party members would shed a tear for his departure and it’s perfectly alright for him to leave because no members are indispensable. Others have even suggested that he join an opposition party like PAS, PKR or even DAP.
Among those unforgiving critics are people who have moved up the hierarchy thanks to a lift from Mahathir back in those years.
Everyone has the right to express what he thinks or feels, but if there are only consistent voices hammering a dissident party veteran, this serves to illustrate the fact that this party only accommodates people working hard to whitewash the misdeeds of their leader, and that it lacks foresightedness one would expect from a major political party of such stature.
In the meantime, the harsh actions in the form of suspension or termination of party membership lashed out at dissidents and critics have somehow worked, but this is by no means a good thing for Umno.
To safeguard their personal interests, many politicians have opted to act against their conscience, telling lies without the slightest hint of shame.
In view of this, Mahathir’s leaving serves as a litmus test for his residual credibility. If his departure has only managed to draw a lukewarm response, it will mean expedited demise of his personal charisma and influences. It remains to be seen whether this do-or-die battle will mark the official end of Mahathir’s influences.
For a man who helped bring Umno to greater prominence and put in a lot of effort to safeguard the rights of his community, Mahathir not only has to leave his party twice as a means of registering his displeasure with his handpicked successors, but also stand alongside the opposition to advance his plan of toppling Najib.
The political ecosystem in Malaysia highlights to us the eternal fact that there is no permanent friends nor foes in politics.
