‘Don’t start a fight unless you are willing to finish it’ as the saying goes.
Yes Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has clearly said that Umno must remove Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in order to save the party from greater losses in the next general election.
Initially Dr. Mahathir only commented on the things that Najib has done. Then he urged Najib to improve and make changes in his style and policies. Later Dr. Mahathir warned Najib that if there are no drastic changes, then Umno/BN could lose in the coming general elections. He then hinted that with the mismanagement of the 1MDB Najib should resign as Dr. Mahathir himself would do in the same situation; he would resign.
However Najib would not budge. Thus there is no choice for Dr. Mahathir but to say it bluntly that Najib should be removed from power.
Dr. Mahathir knows that he cannot do it alone and he needs support - and a lot of it too! Although initially Dr. Mahathir was the lone voice in criticizing Najib, he was later joined by Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, Tan Sri Zainudin Maidin and Tun Daim Zainudin, the support has slowly but surely gained momentum.
Along the way while attacking Najib, Dr. Mahathir laid out the facts and gave the reasons to justify his comments, critics and attacks against Najib. And the people have began to understand and are convinced by what Dr. Mahathir has pointed out.
And just to be sure that he is not alone, the wily Dr. Mahathir sent out a teaser that he is alone and the response was immediate. Popular songbird Siti Nurhaliza was among those who responded and the rest as they say is history! No, Dr. Mahathir has shown quite conclusively he is not at all alone in his mission.
Dr M and PM Najib
Concerns amongst the ordinary people about Najib and his management of the country have been brewing for some time. Finally, the people returned an unanimous verdict - Najib is really not doing a good job at all. Dr. Mahathir has helped them face the fact that Najib is incompetent.
It really needed someone like Dr. Mahathir to make waves and convince the people. Because the police and Najib won't dare arrest Dr M, he has been able to publicly scold Putrajaya for its incompetence. Dr M has helped to crystallize all the accusations the Opposition has been harping on against Najib since the GE-12. Najib is simply not good. He's not smart enough!
What is Dr M's next step
Now many people are focusing on Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and on what he is going to do next in his effort to remove Datuk Seri Najib Razak from power.
Surely Dr. Mahathir must have a strategy and a platform to achieve his objective.
Just a day ago he said 'if invited, I will go' when asked if he was willing to join forces with Umno stalwart Tengku Razaleigh and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim - both men whom he had previously oppressed and pushed out of Umno.
The speculation and noise about a joint platform to save Malaysia was so strong even DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang offered to work with Mahathir - a great concession given they are old foes.
But Mahathir is shrewd. His political savvy is impeccable. He knows he cannot be seen to be abandoning warlords in the BN camp.
For example, what would DPM Muhyiddin Yassin say to Ku Li or Anwar replacing Najib as PM? Imagine, how petrified MCA and Gerakan would be if Dr M were to welcome Kit Siang's offer. With their cushy jobs and projects at stake, these Umno-BN warlords would go rushing back to the Najib camp.
So no one was surprised when Dr Mahathir retraced his comments of a day ago.
“I’m not working with anyone to take down Najib, not the opposition. The problem is within Umno itself,” Dr Mahathir told reporters when met on the sidelines of an anti-war forum here.
Dr M's strategy is quite clear because his goal is clear. He wants to save Umno, not Malaysia.
Revolt within Umno first
It may be disappointing for Malaysians who are sick of the tyranny of the Najib administration and of having to put up with nincompoop officials like 'Twitter King' IGP Khalid Bakar, but the road ahead is still a long and rocky one.
Anwar's PKR party, which Opposition insiders claim is the party that Mahathir is most able to 'tolerate' appears to think so too.
"Certainly we have common concerns with Dr Mahathir especially on the quest for the truth on the 1MDB financial scandals. Dr M's persistence has positive impact on transparency and exposing corruption in the Najib administration," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
"We welcome Dr M's determination in pursuing these issues but we are not carried away. We are the political Opposition and our objective is to overthrow the Umno-BN government. Dr M's objective is to save Umno and to salvage the BN's chances of winning the next general election."
Nonetheless, Dr M being Dr M is unlikely to fry just one fish in a big 'kuali'. He will fry several and concurrently too. High-level insiders from both the sides of the divide will confirm that there have been 'approaches' made through third parties to PKR. How far that will go or if Dr M is merely using them remains to be seen.
Najib too is playing the same trick. He is playing up to Pas president Hadi Awang, who is seen by many as an Islamic extremist. Sadly for Najib, his strategy has frightened the silent majority into the Mahathir camp.
It is now therefore not as difficult as before for Mahathir to play his next card. Which is to stir up a revolt within Umno.
PKR vice president Tian Chua recently revealed that Dr M made contact with his party through 'third parties' . He said Dr M made it clear he wanted to 'crusade this alone'. Tian also rated Dr M as an 'almost impossible ally'.
Yes, Plan A appears to be for Najib will be toppled by forces with Umno. Already the PM and Umno president is shaking as allegiance shifts strongly to the Dr M camp. Horse-trading has begun and even Najib's people are said to be mulling what to ask for in return for his stepping down and passing the baton to Muhyiddin.
Mahathir has started the fight and he has to finish it. If he cannot do it alone, he will rally up the whole country. But for now, the focus is on Umno saving itself by getting rid of its own incompetent and 'baggage-laden' party president.
If that can't work, then Mahathir will unleash the power of the people against Najib and his disgraced Cabinet.
Mahathir may then open the table to talks with the Opposition and any other party including from the BN that can no longer stomach the corruption and imbecility of the Najib regime.
What would the impact of Plan A and Plan B be on Malaysia, the Malays and the non-Malays? No doubt, the pundits will lose no time in making their own strong opinions known depending on which side they stand on. Let's wait for the deluge to come. - Malaysia Chronicle
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