From Malaysiakini:
Mahathir is the source of instability
LETTER | Many people may be aghast at this claim. How could it be? Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the saviour of the country for having toppled the corrupt-to-the-core Umno-led regime. So how could he have caused such trouble to the country?
But let me ask this question. If Mahathir has not been entangling the premiership's succession for so long, enticing Azmin Ali and unsettling Anwar Ibrahim, would it have led to the present crisis in PKR that may not only break up the party but also trigger the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan coalition?
The latter is a high possibility, considering the inherent incompatibility between Mahathir and Anwar. The sex video is only a spark. But the explosive elements have been accumulating for some time.
To prove my point, Mahathir has only to announce his categorical commitment to hand over power to Anwar on a specific date, which should be a decision reached at a Harapan presidential council meeting and the turmoil in PKR would subside and the Harapan coalition could return its focus to fulfilling its reformasi pledges to the electorate.
Why can’t Mahathir do it if he has no intention to dishonour his commitment to the Harapan consensus before the last election? And why can’t the collective leadership of Harapan insist that this is done?
Unless the source of conflict is eliminated as suggested above, the present conflict will only worsen, leading to a tragic ending.
It is, hence, imperative that Harapan must be decisive now if it doesn’t want to risk losing its only chance to save the country from unrelenting decline.
Now, a word on the motive of sex video plot. My advice is to keep an open mind.
Do not confine the possibility as only an attempt to injure Azmin politically. There are other possibilities such as a manoeuvre to prevent Anwar from assuming the premiership or a conspiracy to break up the Harapan coalition. The respective motivators should be self-evident.
Our priority at this movement is to save the coalition as suggested, relegating the sex video issue to a due resolution in accordance with the rule of law.
The writer is the author of the banned book The March to Putrajaya and the bestseller Where to, Malaysia?
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Kaytee notes:I was going to write about this, that Mahathir has been the main source of instability in Pakatan, but alas, noted socio-political activist Kim Quek beat me to it, well, at least on the title, wakakaka.
Kim Quek has been right in all the points he highlighted and the one which caught my attention:
If Mahathir has not been entangling the premiership's succession for so long, enticing Azmin Ali and unsettling Anwar Ibrahim, would it have led to the present crisis in PKR that may not only break up the party but also trigger the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan coalition?
To answer Kim Quek on his two questions above, firstly Mahathir has NO intention of handing over to Anwar, well at least initially - I have to admit I'm not sure now that blue-eyed boy has been 'soiled' (far worse than Soi Lek who only engaged in natural sex which no doubt had won the silent admiration of non Chinese, though the reprobation ire of the cheongsum aunties, wakakaka).
I've often mentioned why Mahathir natural proclivity has been NOT to hand over the PM-ship to Anwar, namely, (a) Anwar has been (I suspect still is) his detested enemy since 1997 - Old Man has not/never forgiven Anwar, and (b) Anwar did his son Mirzan wrong in holding back on the latter's humongous required bailout on his shipping line during the Asian Meltdown era - no one effs around with Mahathir's Chye-Chye unforgiven.
(c) Having returned to the PM-ship, much to his own surprise, and realising he has been given a 2nd chance to remedy all his mistakes (incurred on his own arrogant presumptuousness during his original reign up to 2003) he has decided to now fix those but he requires time, certainly more than the prescribed two years, so eff Anwar.
Secondly, why couldn't/can’t the collective leadership of Harapan insist that it be done? Well, let's first eliminate the ineffectual voice, that of Amanah. Then PKR itself by the very issue itself has been split into two, just the way Mahathir has intended. If Wan Azizah has made some 'noise', I reckon her complaints and unhappiness would have been more effective than the combined efforts of Anwar, Nurul, Rafizi etc etc etc. But she didn't.
What about the DAP then? Who knows what Lim KS has been thinking, but whatever, I don't like it. You can guess and it won't be far wrong.
Avarice changes a man, even like some in the DAP.
