Mahathir Will Appoint Mukhriz And Not Wan Azizah As The DPM: Part 1

With that backdrop over the last 16 years since 2002 why would Mahathir want to allow Dr Wan Azizah to become the Deputy Prime Minister? Mahathir worked very hard these last 16 years to try to push Mukhriz up the Umno ladder so that he can become Malaysia’s Prime Minister by 2020, which is two years from now. It was an 18-year plan that started in 2002 and by today Mukhriz was supposed to be the Deputy Prime Minister if he is going to be Prime Minister by 2020.  

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

When you judge a person, you need to take into consideration that person’s entire track record and not just that person’s conduct at one point of his or her life. And what that person says is not as important as his or her motives. And that person’s motives will be reflected by what he or she does. And according to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s inner circle, you have to look at what Mahathir does and not what he says.

Mahathirism is basically the politics of deceit, the politics of the end justifying the means, the politics of sacrificing others as pawns in the game of thrones, and the politics of using whatever needs to be used to win, fair means or foul. And Mahathir’s game-plan these last 16 years is to make his son, Mukhriz, Malaysia’s Prime Minister.

For the last 16 years since 2002 Mahathir’s game-plan is to make Mukhriz the Prime Minister by 2020

Yes, since 2002 Mahathir had only one thing in mind, which is to make Mukhriz the Prime Minister. And what he has been doing over these 16 years was with only that one thing in mind. And Mahathir spent 16 months negotiating this deal with Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi before handing over power on 1st November 2003. Abdullah would ensure that Mukhriz will start his rise up the Umno ladder as soon as Mahathir hands him power on 1st November 2003.

However, in 2004, it was Abdullah’s son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, who rose up the Umno Youth ladder. Mukhriz did not make it and Mahathir blamed Abdullah for this. In June 2006, Mahathir launched his attack on Abdullah. The story Mahathir gave was that Abdullah had sold out to Singapore and that Khairy plus his ‘Fourth Floor’ team were agents of Singapore.

Abdullah did not help Mukhriz and instead Khairy won in 2004 and that upset Mahathir

The truth is Abdullah failed to help Mukhriz win the Umno Youth deputy post in 2004 and instead Khairy won. And for that Abdullah had to go. The Singapore agent story was merely a camouflage story because surely Mahathir cannot admit that his anger with Abdullah was due to Mukhriz failing to win the Umno Youth deputy’s post and instead Khairy won.

That was 14 to 16 years ago and even back then it was all about Mukhriz. And it is still about Mukhriz today.

In 2009, Najib Tun Razak took over as Prime Minister and it was now Najib’s job to deliver what Abdullah failed to deliver, the Umno Youth leadership to Mukhriz. But, again, Khairy won and Mukhriz lost. Mukhriz will have to wait until 2013 for the next party election before he can make another bid.

When Najib took over as Prime Minister in 2009 Mahathir expected him to help Mukhriz win the Umno Youth leadership later that year

Soon after the 2013 general election, Mahathir fired a warning shot to Najib. He blamed Najib for the 2013 election performance and accused Najib of wasting time with the Chinese and not focusing on the Malay voters who are the ones who are keeping Umno in power. Basically, Mahathir was doing to Najib what he did to Abdullah and the warning was if Najib does not help Mukhriz in the party election later that year the move to oust him will start.

Mukhriz lost his bid for an Umno vice president’s seat and in the following year Mahathir started his move to oust Najib.

Najib was supposed to have been ousted on 29th July 2015. When that failed Mahathir tried again in October and again in December. Both those attempts failed as well. In February 2016, Najib struck back and Mukhriz was removed as the Kedah Menteri Besar. Realising that Mukhriz’s political career in Umno was finished, on 29th February 2016 Mahathir resigned from Umno and walked over to the opposition.

Mahathir worked so hard since 2002 to make Mukhriz Prime Minister by 2020 so why would he want Wan Azizah as his deputy?

With that backdrop over the last 16 years since 2002 why would Mahathir want to allow Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to become the Deputy Prime Minister? Mahathir worked very hard these last 16 years to try to push Mukhriz up the Umno ladder so that he can become Malaysia’s Prime Minister by 2020, which is two years from now. It was an 18-year plan that started in 2002 and by today Mukhriz was supposed to be the Deputy Prime Minister if he is going to be Prime Minister by 2020.

The story that Mahathir will be the interim Prime Minister and Wan Azizah his deputy until Anwar Ibrahim receives his royal pardon and can take over is utter nonsense. That is never going to happen and everyone knows it.

What Pakatan Harapan is hoping is that Mahathir can win over the Malay electorate and help oust Umno and Barisan Nasional. Once that happens they will deal with Mahathir later. Mahathir, on the other hand, is hoping that once Umno and Barisan Nasional are ousted he will be made the interim Prime Minister and once that happens he can deal with Pakatan Harapan later.

Both are using each other in the hope that later, once they win the general election, they can solve the problem of what to do with their so-called political ally. It is like two mortal enemies such as the United States and the Taliban uniting to defeat Russia, and once the Russians leave Afghanistan they can deal with each other later.

Nepotism has always been the hallmark of opposition politics

But if Mahathir reneges on the deal and Mukhriz instead of Wan Azizah gets appointed the Deputy Prime Minister will Pakatan Harapan accept that? Well, Lim Kit Siang moved his son, Guan Eng, from Melaka to Penang and in 2008 appointed him the Penang Chief Minister. In the beginning there were some grumblings, but, in the end, everyone kept quiet and accepted the situation — and Guan Eng even managed to get a second term in 2013 with no dissent from the Penang DAP leaders and members.

Karpal Singh’s children and Anwar’s wife and daughter are also leaders in their own parties. And no one is upset with that. Nepotism is very much the Pakatan Harapan culture so no one is going to complain if Mahathir makes his son the Deputy Prime Minister. This has always been the opposition’s way of life and will continue to be so for years to come.