DrM blamed on Zambry for BN to lose in Bkt Gantang

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad has blamed his Umno party’s loss in Bukit Gantang on the flotilla of posters displaying BN Menteri Besar Zambry Kadir.

“There were lots of banners and posters in Bukit Gantang. A lot of them showed the portraits of the candidate. But quite a lot showed the picture of the Menteri Besar,” said Mahathir.

Unwittingly, the veteran politician has hit bull-eyes.

Not that Zambry is unpopular in his personal capacity, but the Pangkor assemblyman has become a symbol for the injustice and frustration felt by the majority of the people in the state.

Independent surveys have shown that as many as three-quarters of Perakians want a fresh mandate via state-wide polls to choose their leadership.

The Umno-BN line-up foisted on them by their Sultan and Prime Minister Najib Razak has not been able to gain respect and acceptance, simply because it lacks the key ingredient of legitimacy, which can only come with by being elected - not appointed and dubiously too.

On the other hand, the fight-back launched by the Pakatan Rakyat, which was displaced by Zambry’s ascension, has gotten stronger - boosted immeasurably by the blatantly cheating tactics adopted by the Umno-BN.

From locking up the gates to state secretariat, threats of imposing curfew, denying the Speaker of the assembly the right to his own legal counsel, instigating his secretary into betraying him, vandalizing the Tree of Democracy, all the way to persuading the highest court in the land to utter declarations that have been slammed right, left and centre by the legal fraternity.

All these mis-steps have hurt the nation more than just Perak. (SuaraKeadilan)

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Zaid - Dr Mahathir is unwanted !

KUALA LUMPUR, — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had no effect on the April 7 by-elections and this shows that people do not want him anymore, says Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

The former law minister, who has had a running feud with the former prime minister since his move last year to compensate judges sacked by Dr Mahathir in the 1987 judicial crisis, said this in an interview on the “Fairly Current Show”, a short programme that aired on the Internet yesterday.

Zaid, who is widely expected to join Pakatan Rakyat — most likely PKR — soon, also added that his former party, Umno, was too weak to stand up to Dr Mahathir and members were afraid of being ousted like Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who stepped down as prime minister last week after years of criticism by his predecessor Dr Mahathir.

"There were thousands of people in Sungai Petani they say, but clearly there was no effect," he said of Dr Mahathir's stop in Bukit Selambau in a two-stop blitz that included Bukit Gantang on the last day of campaigning in the by-elections.

PR, in fact, increased its majority in the two seats which, Zaid said, was an indicator of Dr Mahathir's unpopularity.

"He feels that people still want him. This is the problem with strongmen who some call dictators. Sometimes, they don't know they are surrounded by people who tell them their leadership is still needed," he said.

He added that it was the same throughout history, citing Suharto, the former president of Indonesia, and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, who also "do not know when they are unwanted".

However, in a recent blog posting, Dr Mahathir continued to insist that Abdullah was still "entirely responsible for all the ills" in Barisan Nasional which led to the electoral defeats as "a leader plays a big role especially in Malaysia and the quality of his leadership affects the behaviour and performance of his subordinates."

Zaid also mocked the idea that Umno wanted its longest-serving president back.

"It is not that Umno wants to take him back but he wants to rejoin. But nobody is brave enough to stop him. This shows Umno is very weak and its leaders are not brave enough to stand up to him because they are afraid of ending up like Pak Lah," he said of Abdullah, who was handpicked by Dr Mahathir but then suffered years of harsh criticism from him.

Zaid cited, as an example, the fact that Khairy Jamaluddin, Abdullah's son-in-law, won comfortably ahead of Dr Mahathir's son Datuk Mukhriz in the Umno Youth chief contest because "he interfered. If not it would be a tougher fight".

Zaid and Dr Mahathir most recently clashed in a war of words over the appointment of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister, with Dr Mahathir calling Zaid's plea to the King not to appoint Najib "very stupid". (TMI)

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Malaysia new Mahathirsm

KUALA LUMPUR, — In 2001, as Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's long tenure as prime minister was in its final years, we wrote that Malaysia was "in danger of stepping back from the world of democracy and the Internet into a darker age of racial conflict and government repression." Eight years later, with the economy deteriorating and politics in turmoil, that threat looms again.
Dr Mahathir's protege, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is set to be elected today as leader of Umno, the leading party in the coalition that has governed the country since independence in 1957. Next week he is expected to take over as prime minister, replacing the moderate and mostly ineffective Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. During his six years in office, Abdullah made scant progress in efforts to end political corruption, liberalise the economy and reform the judiciary. The unpopular premier led Umno to a dismal performance in elections a year ago.

Najib's ascension to power has been marked by a government crackdown on Umno's political opponents and on free speech. On Monday, police fired tear gas on a rally in Kedah as opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was speaking to the crowd. Also this week, reporters from popular online media, including Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider, were denied credentials by the party to cover the Umno party congress taking place in Kuala Lumpur.

Most worryingly, the government this week shut down two opposition party newspapers. The ban is for three months — long enough to get past the April 7 by-elections for three parliamentary seats that the opposition is keen to snag. It's also long enough to get past the expected verdict next month in a sensational murder trial to which the opposition links Najib; Najib vehemently denies any involvement and says he did not know the victim. As reported in a Journal news story this week, Anwar said he believes the papers were shuttered in part to keep them from repeating allegations of corruption in weapons purchases when Najib was defence minister. Najib has denied allegations of corruption.

The government's new restrictions on the press come on the heels of Umno's

moves against the opposition party in Perak, where it recently persuaded three state assemblymen to switch alliances, thereby shifting the state government's balance of power in Umno's favor. The Sultan of Perak validated the move, the opposition contested it and a court case is under way. But a lawyer who said the sultan's decision was unconstitutional and suggested he might sue the sultan was charged with sedition last week. Six Internet users who made critical comments on the sultan's website were also charges with insulting the sultan under the country's new cyber law.

In Dr Mahathir's era, the Umno-led government could get away with such tactics. Under his watch, the country saw opposition media silenced and political dissidents jailed. But in today's Malaysia, where voters are beginning to realise the power of the ballot box, it's a risky political gambit. Anwar led his opposition coalition to victory in five of 13 states last year and since then has also won two parliamentary by-elections. So far Anwar has been unable to win enough defections from Umno to dissolve the government and call new elections. If he succeeds — and if he can get past his July trial for sodomy — he could eventually win the premiership. Anwar denies the charges and says they are politically motivated, a charge the government denies.

In the meantime, Umno's moves against the opposition and the press suggest that rather than listening to voters, the ruling party may be growing less tolerant of dissent. Add in the ethnic tensions in Malaysia's multiracial society — and Umno's favoured system of preferences for native Malays — and it's a potentially combustible mix.

Malaysia can't afford political upheaval now. The country's economy is being hit hard by the global recession. GDP growth is forecast to contract this quarter after growth of just 0.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2008, and unemployment is rising. Foreign investors perceive political risk in a country that still locks up its citizens under colonial-era laws like the the Internal Security Act. Voters may decide to take it out on Najib, who was finance minister under Abdullah, if they don't see improvement in the economy.

Najib seems to understand that Malaysians want something new. In a speech on Tuesday at the party conference, he promised to end corruption and the politics of patronage and pursue reform; he called for "renewal and regeneration" for Umno. "Economic progress and better education have directly resulted in the birth of a class of voters who are better informed, very demanding and highly critical," he said. "If we do not heed this message, their seething anger will become hatred and in the end this may cause them to abandon us altogether."

Najib, the son of Malaysia's second prime minister, entered Parliament at the age of 22. Now 55, he has been groomed for this moment for all of his political life. If the soon-to-be PM truly wants to change his country for the better, he'll make good on his word, squelch his inner Mahathir, and lead Malaysia down the path of more transparent government and basic freedoms. — Wall Street Journal

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Chedet wants KJ out

KUALA LUMPUR, - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has gone for the jugular, pressing the Umno delegates and incoming Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to freeze Khairy Jamaluddin out of the party and government.

This move by the former prime minister is the latest verbal volley against the son-in-law of his nemesis, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and appears to be a final push to improve Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir's chances of being elected as the Umno Youth chief on Thursday.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the battle for the youth wing is turning out to be a fight between Khairy and Datuk Dr Khir Toyo, with Mukhriz trailing some way behind.

Though no longer an Umno member, Dr Mahathir carries considerable influence in the party and has been commenting on trend of money politics in Umno and the ineffectiveness of the party's disciplinary board to censure the culprits.

In his latest blog posting, he slammed the disciplinary tribunal for missing out on a great opportunity to bar candidates who had used money to buy votes.

"If they had done so, this would have improved the image of the party and there is a good chance that the party would win in the next general elections. But because tribunal has allowed candidates said to be corrupt to contest, there is a good chance that they will be elected to the
Supreme Council, '' he said.

He said that only Najib could save the party.

"When Dato Seri Najib forms the new government, he can reject these leaders and do not give them any positions in the Cabinet or government. I believe Dato Seri Abdullah will force Najib to pick certain individuals as Cabinet ministers.

"We of course know about the desire of someone to become the youngest Prime Minister. The fact is that even if he wins, his involvement in the government will cause voters to reject Barisan Nasional in the next general elections. If Dato Seri Najib picks the corrupt and certain people in his Cabinet, Umno will be destroyed, '' said Dr Mahathir, who believes that Khairy was the power behind the throne and person who influenced Abdullah to chart his own style of administration and undermine the former prime minister's legacy.

Ground reports suggest that either Khir Toyo or Khairy will emerge victorious on Thursday. Khir Toyo was cleared of graft by the disciplinary board while Khairy was warned but allowed to contest.

This latest posting by Dr Mahathir is a gentle reminder to Najib that the latter's choices for the Cabinet will have to be "endorsed'' and "sanctioned'' by the former prime minister.

Otherwise, Najib can expect to be criticized from the sidelines.

Dr Mahathir, who quit Umno in protest against Abdullah's leadership, is expected to attend the party's general assembly as an observer. He is also likely to be given an unofficial role in the new administration.

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Guan Eng blames Chedet for Karpal uproar - Malaysiakini

GEORGE TOWN: DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has blamed former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the uproar over Karpal Singh’s plan to sue the Sultan of Perak.

He said Karpal Singh, who is DAP chairman, was merely stating a matter of law that the Sultan could be taken to court.

Lim said it was Dr Mahathir who was behind the 1993 constitutional amendment that allowed Rulers to be stripped of their immunity from prosecution.

“If we look at history, the person who made this law is from Umno. If you want to place blame, then blame the Umno person who is responsible for the deed,” he told reporters before receiving a courtesy call from the Penang Bar Committee at his office in Komtar yesterday.

In Petaling Jaya, Karpal Singh said there was no legal basis to banish him from Perak.

“I firmly stand by my opinion that the Sultan of Perak can be sued in court in his official capacity for having dismissed the Pakatan state government,” he said in a statement.

He said under the Banishment Act, 1959 (Act 79), he could not be banished from any states in the Federation of Malaysia because it is an Act relating to the banishment and expulsion from Malaysia of persons other than citizens. (TheStar)

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UMNO money politics members to be unveiled soon - Dr M

PUTRAJAYA: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has promised to name Umno members implicated in money politics on his influential blog www.chedet.com.

He said he was willing to be sued for defamation and even risk arrest by the authorities because he was not afraid to expose the truth and the identities of such errant members.

“I can’t do anything about the complaints except to hand these over to the Umno disciplinary committee. I will put these names up in my blog.

“I am not afraid of being sued for libel or being arrested by the police. If they can release (blogger and Malaysia Today editor) Raja Petra Kamarudin, won’t they also be able to release me as well?” he said in his dialogue with a group of Umno members and leaders, ex-ministers and Malay student groups at the Perdana Leadership Foundation here yesterday.

Earlier, an Umno member from the Parit division had complained of money politics in his area and had asked for Dr Mahathir to look into the list of names of those implicated in the division.

Since its launch a year ago, Dr Mahathir’s blog has achieved nine million hits.

Earlier, in his speech, Dr Mahathir said voters would continue to reject Umno or Barisan Nasional if its new leader continues with the present policies and does not come down hard on corruption and money politics.

“Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has mentioned that he will continue with the teachings of Islam Hadhari. This is not a good sign as it shows that the transition is only in the person, and not in terms of policies.

“The voters did not like the policies that were put into place by the current Prime Minister, so they will still reject Umno. So, there is no point in having such a transition,” he said. (TheStar)

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Mahathir is back with a vangeance

With a hit count reaching almost nine million in just one year, it would not be wrong to describe former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as Malaysia's most successful blogger.His blog, chedet.com, routinely attracts hundreds of comments, and is frequently quoted by the mainstream media. Ironically, he started the blog only because he was blacked out in the media for his harsh criticism of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Five years to the day since his retirement in 2003, Dr Mahathir's influence seems to be growing steadily as Malaysia readies for a new prime minister by the end of March next year.

His every move is dissected for its significance. When he showed up at International Trade Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's Hari Raya open house last week, it stirred much excitement as it was perceived as an endorsement of the minister. This can count for a lot in the upcoming election in Umno, whose members still love him.

Is Dr Mahathir making a political comeback? Not exactly. But there is a strong belief that his influence is on the rise.

Observers suggest that he could have a big say in the next administration after he played a key role in securing the early retirement of Abdullah, who was blamed for the poor showing of the Barisan Nasional in the March polls.

Many believe that Dr Mahathir's skilful manoeuvres behind the scenes were instrumental in getting Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak to persuade Abdullah to retire earlier than his original plan of June 2010. The whiff of resurgent power has sent Umno leaders and the media flocking to Dr Mahathir again, and he is back in the limelight after five years of being out in the cold.

“His views are being reported more widely, precisely because many people think that he will make a comeback,” said political analyst Ong Kian Ming.

Professor Agus Yusoff, from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, agreed that this was one perception, but felt that the bigger reason was the weakness of the current leadership.

“His views are being heard now because people are looking for better leadership. They see Dr Mahathir as experienced, and his views relevant,” he said.

Things have come full circle for Dr Mahathir, 82. His star dimmed soon after his retirement when Abdullah won a massive mandate in 2004. But the former premier soon sprang back into limelight after he began to give voice to public misgivings about Abdullah's weak administration.

His attacks gripped Malaysians for months in 2005, but they soon wore thin — until the March election that saw the BN suffer heavy losses. His campaign to topple his successor gained unstoppable momentum, returning him to a position of influence. Dr Mahathir's recent blog entry criticising the reach of vote-buying, or “money politics”, in Umno was debated widely in Umno circles.

His most recent acerbic comments on Najib's alleged young advisers sparked even more talk.

In a blog entry on Tuesday, he warned Najib not to repeat the mistake of cloistering himself with young advisers as Abdullah had, to the anger of Umno.

Dr Mahathir named consultancy firm Ethos as the Deputy Premier's adviser, and claimed that it also had links to Abdullah's young advisers.

“They (Ethos) are interested in getting a portion of the EPF worth RM300 billion to manage its investments, apparently with returns of up to 40 per cent,” he wrote, referring to the Employees Provident Fund.

The management of Ethos was quoted in The Edge business weekly recently about their interest in managing part of EPF investments. Najib has not responded.

Political observers believe that he will not marginalise the former premier, especially after seeing how Dr Mahathir's constant sniping damaged Abdullah's reputation.

“Najib will certainly prefer to have Dr Mahathir inside as an adviser rather than outside lobbing criticism at him,” said Ong.

This has led some people to predict a return of Mahathirism, suggesting a stronger hand on government than Abdullah's looser style. But Najib's supporters have denied this perception.

“Najib is not a puppet, he will have his own way and will want to make his own mark,” said Agus.

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir's every move and word will continue to be watched, and his blog can expect to hit the 10 million mark very soon. — The Straits Times


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Pak Lah lashes out at Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR: It was during his last stop on a lightning visit to Kota Kinabalu late Saturday night (18 Oct) that Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi finally gave voice to his thoughts about his resurgent predecessor.

He lambasted Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the strongest words.

"Who is he? He has left Umno (United Malays National Organisation) but he still issues orders to members of Umno. The party does not need to take orders from anyone who is no longer a member of the party," Abdullah was quoted as saying by the New Sunday Times.

He accused Dr Mahathir of behaving like a party elections director, and of trying to create a rift by inciting anger and hatred, after his predecessor urged Umno to get rid of his "toadies".

Dr Mahathir had written in his blog that Umno should vote out those who supported Abdullah.

To this, the Prime Minister said: "What is wrong with people who work with me? He is trying to teach people to hate one another."

He said it would be better for Dr Mahathir not to "speak at all today".

Their rivalry, which had intensified over the past four years as the former premier tried to topple Abdullah, has reached new heights.

The Prime Minister's outburst comes in the wake of speculation that Dr Mahathir played a pivotal role in forcing his early retirement, and that the former premier is poised to become a powerful influence over deputy prime minister Najib Razak, who is slated to succeed Abdullah by March next year.

It is no secret that Dr Mahathir pushed Najib and international trade and industry minister Muhyiddin Yassin to take an active role in persuading Abdullah to bring forward his retirement, originally planned for June 2010.

Najib and Muhyiddin are now the front runners to win the Umno presidency and deputy presidency and, by extension, Malaysia's premiership and deputy premiership. Both have easily garnered the minimum number of nominations needed to contest the party positions.

Dr Mahathir's son, Mukhriz Mahathir, is also far ahead of Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin in the race for nominations for the Umno Youth presidency.

This has sparked speculation about the return of 'Mahathirism', with many bloggers noting Najib's purported loyalty to the former premier. Dr Mahathir himself has dismissed the notion that he would be a 'de facto' prime minister.

Najib's supporters are also keen to dismiss the idea, knowing the old ways might not sit well with voters. They note that the deputy premier acted quickly to dispel the impression that a new set of young advisers was emerging to replace Abdullah's hugely unpopular team.

The Prime Minister has also lashed out at Muhyiddin, who called for the Umno elections to be brought forward to December from March, saying a longer campaign would distract the government.

"Is he so impatient to become the deputy prime minister? That is, if he gets the support," said Abdullah. 'What is the meaning of all this? I am not happy with this. Is he trying to stop me from making reforms?'

He added that Muhyiddin seemed to be trying to get him to hand over power in December.

Muhyiddin has since clarified that he merely wanted the Umno election to be held earlier, while a transition of power at the national level could take place in March. But observers wonder if he is trying to start a groundswell for an earlier retirement date for Mr Abdullah after successfully starting the push for him to abandon his June 2010 plan.

This latest bout of squabbling shows that Umno, while more stable now than in the early months after the 8 March polls, is still mired in internal politicking.

Najib has not commented on the developments, but in his blog on Saturday, he said Umno members should remember that the party election was just the start of the real work to revive Umno's fortunes. "In fact, this is what should be in the minds of Umno delegates when choosing the individuals who will occupy positions of leadership at all levels of the party hierarchy," he wrote. (By CAROLYN HONG/ The Straits Times/ ANN)

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