Zaid: Principles be damned, Dr M destroys those with “independent-minds”

Focus Malaysia:

Zaid: Principles be damned, Dr M destroys those with “independent-minds”

With former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad lashing out at his successors, a veteran politician argued that the former is bitter because his proteges showed “independence”.

“Mahathir’s anger against Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak knows no limits. If there is a barometer to gauge his hatred for the Pekan MP, it will be equal of his hostility towards Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“The nonagenarian is full of anger and hatred that he has decided to contest in the next general election,” former Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said in a Facebook post.

In a recent interview with Malaysiakini, Mahathir pinned Malaysia’s malaise squarely on Najib’s shoulders, calling the latter the worst Prime Minister the nation has ever had.

Mahathir is also known as a bitter rival to Anwar. Despite promising to vacate the premiership to make way for the Port Dickson MP within two years of Pakatan Harapan’s win in the previous general election, the old maverick quit his post abruptly, leaving the Government to collapse and Perikatan Nasional to take power.

In his view, Zaid said that Mahathir was against the duo not due of their scandals but more because they refused to kowtow to the nonagenarian’s will.

“Anwar refused to allow Mahathir to rule forever and was against the latter’s autocratic style. If scandals are Mahathir’s motives, the latter didn’t take any responsibility for the several financial misconduct which happened during his administration.

“As for Najib, the latter also refused to follow Mahathir’s whims and fancies. In fact, several quarters have claimed that 1Malaysia Development Board (1MDB) was formed due to the latter’s fault,” the former Umno lawmaker opined.

Dr M “haunts” Umno, Bersatu

Zaid added that Najib also incurred Mahathir’s wrath after refusing to bailout Proton Holdings Bhd, which was bleeding millions of ringgit from the nation’s coffers for years.

“When former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tried to tie up Proton with a European carmaker to give it a new lease of life, Mahathir went on a tirade against it.

“Najib managed to tie up Proton with a foreign carmaker, which helped rejuvenate the business but he was no longer favoured by Mahathir,” he stated.

Zaid said that the Langkawi MP was also angry with both his successors, Abdullah and Najib for refusing to revive his “pet project”, the Crooked Bridge linking Johor Bahru to Singapore.

The crooked bridge was nothing more than his way of getting 'one-up' at Singapore

“Both Abdullah and Najib cancelled the project because they found it wasteful. Plus, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir’s ouster as Kedah Menteri Besar during Najib’s administration also frustrated Mahathir,” he opined.

In a nutshell, Zaid said that Umno will never be able to transform itself to become a progressive party as long as it continues to practice Mahathir’s Machiavellian politics, where absolute power is “worshipped” and principles are set aside.

“I’m no political analyst but we cannot blame Najib alone for Umno’s defeat in the last polls. The party lost because it continues to live under Mahathir’s shadow, who disregards morals and integrity.

“And Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) also suffers from the same ‘disease’. That is why the party will win big in the next polls unless the Opposition bloc unites and strengthens itself.

“And I suspect Mahathir will contest under Bersatu, or at the very least, an independent sponsored by the party. Bersatu is Mahathir’s creation so I have little doubt that he will continue to use it as a platform to spew venom against Anwar and Najib,” Zaid remarked. – April 19, 2021