Not over yet: Dr Mahathir still a force 4 decades since first PM stint
Riding high on Pejuang’s registration, polarising nonagenarian unlikely to tap out of political race any time soon
LANGKAWI – It has been 40 years since Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad first led the country as prime minister but time has not dulled his political prowess as he remains a wily politician.
Political scientist, Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia, said the Langkawi MP should not be underestimated despite being 96 years old.
There has been speculation whether Dr Mahathir will focus on winning Langkawi again or set his sights on another constituency in the next national polls.
“Underestimate him at your own peril as he has continued to defy the odds throughout his political career that has spanned more than 70 years.
“While his style might be cutting but at the same time, he seems to resonate with certain segments of the community.”
Dr Mahathir debuted in 1964 as Kota Setar Selatan (Alor Star) MP, and while he did not win every election, he held many cabinet portfolios and was even sworn in as prime minister for the second time under the Pakatan Harapan banner in May 2018.
Despite being a polarising figure, Sivamurugan said Malaysia has yet to see another leader who has managed to emulate Dr Mahathir’s maverick style, which was evident during his first tenure as prime minister from 1981 to 2003.
He added that it could possibly be due to the country’s rapid development.
Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia cautions politicians that underestimating Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad could be perilous to them. – Sivamurugan Pandian Blogspot pic, July 17, 2021
“His legacy might be cemented in skyscrapers and other mega infrastructure, but the political upheavals that followed him dented his public image.
“Some say he has definitely overstayed, but politicians of today continue to court his support.
“I’m among many who are curious to study his next move,” Sivamurugan said after Dr Mahathir’s fourth political party, Pejuang, finally received the nod from the Registrar of Societies (RoS).
Some business leaders in Langkawi are now convinced that Dr Mahathir will defend his parliamentary seat if there is a snap election in 12 months.
Many took notice of his frequent visits despite the pandemic and felt that the Langkawi MP is unlikely to retire any time soon.
Meanwhile, Kedah assembly Speaker Datuk Juhari Bulat said Dr Mahathir has contributed immensely to the island resort so if he wants to contest, it would be a friendly ground.
“Due to the fluid political conditions, I can only say if there is no compromise. Voters have to decide who is the most qualified based on the candidate’s contributions and sacrifices to the electorate.”
Juhari, who is the Kedah Bersatu leader and a close acquaintance of Dr Mahathir, said if contests occur here between the likes of Umno, Bersatu, Pejuang and PAS, it should be cordial and in the spirit of serving the community.
“Some say he has definitely overstayed, but politicians of today continue to court his support.
“I’m among many who are curious to study his next move,” Sivamurugan said after Dr Mahathir’s fourth political party, Pejuang, finally received the nod from the Registrar of Societies (RoS).
Some business leaders in Langkawi are now convinced that Dr Mahathir will defend his parliamentary seat if there is a snap election in 12 months.
Many took notice of his frequent visits despite the pandemic and felt that the Langkawi MP is unlikely to retire any time soon.
Meanwhile, Kedah assembly Speaker Datuk Juhari Bulat said Dr Mahathir has contributed immensely to the island resort so if he wants to contest, it would be a friendly ground.
“Due to the fluid political conditions, I can only say if there is no compromise. Voters have to decide who is the most qualified based on the candidate’s contributions and sacrifices to the electorate.”
Juhari, who is the Kedah Bersatu leader and a close acquaintance of Dr Mahathir, said if contests occur here between the likes of Umno, Bersatu, Pejuang and PAS, it should be cordial and in the spirit of serving the community.
Kedah assembly Speaker Datuk Juhari Bulat says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has contributed immensely to the island resort and could be a favourite if he decides to contest the seat again. – Bernama TV Facebook pic, July 17, 2021
Meanwhile, Klang MP Charles Santiago said Dr Mahathir is outdated in his thinking as the country is now in the 21st century.
“Our needs have differed from the last century.”
A former Umno assemblyman who wants to remain anonymous said it would be dangerous to underestimate Dr Mahathir, as he has been synonymous with the country for the past four decades but there is a need for a new generation to lead Malaysia.
“It is time to move on. Let the youngsters have a shot at serving Langkawi.
“Dr Mahathir is like a father. When he reaches a certain age, surely his children would want him to retire and enjoy the fruits of his labour. So, it is best for him to step aside.”
He did not always have a smooth ride when he was in Umno. The party was deregistered in 1987 after narrowly fending off the leadership challenge mooted by then Umno vice-president Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Dr Mahathir then formed Umno Baru before he exited the party after falling out with then president Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2016.
He was then the co-founder of Bersatu but that too ended abruptly when he quit after the party insisted on withdrawing from the then Pakatan Harapan ruling coalition in February last year.
He has since formed Pejuang, which has six MPs he brought with him from Bersatu, including his son and Jerlun MP Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir. – The Vibes, July 17, 2021
“Our needs have differed from the last century.”
A former Umno assemblyman who wants to remain anonymous said it would be dangerous to underestimate Dr Mahathir, as he has been synonymous with the country for the past four decades but there is a need for a new generation to lead Malaysia.
“It is time to move on. Let the youngsters have a shot at serving Langkawi.
“Dr Mahathir is like a father. When he reaches a certain age, surely his children would want him to retire and enjoy the fruits of his labour. So, it is best for him to step aside.”
He did not always have a smooth ride when he was in Umno. The party was deregistered in 1987 after narrowly fending off the leadership challenge mooted by then Umno vice-president Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Dr Mahathir then formed Umno Baru before he exited the party after falling out with then president Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2016.
He was then the co-founder of Bersatu but that too ended abruptly when he quit after the party insisted on withdrawing from the then Pakatan Harapan ruling coalition in February last year.
He has since formed Pejuang, which has six MPs he brought with him from Bersatu, including his son and Jerlun MP Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir. – The Vibes, July 17, 2021
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Can a Severed Snake Head Still Kill? It's Possible
By Elizabeth Palermo August 31, 2014
(Image credit: Skynavin/Shutterstock.com)
Venomous snakes are scary when they're alive, but there's also reason to fear these fanged creatures after they're dead, a recent news report suggests.
The tale of a chef in China who was preparing a rare delicacy known as cobra soup and was fatally bitten by the decapitated head of one of the snakes he had chopped up for this unusual stew was reported last week, in the U.K. Daily Mirror.
While this story might sound too weird to be true, scientific evidence suggests it is entirely plausible.
"Snakes in general are well known for retaining reflexes after death," said Steven Beaupré, a biology professor at the University of Arkansas. Many ectothermic, or cold-blooded, vertebrae— including species of reptiles and amphibians— share this quality, he said.
In fact, there have been previous reports, including in the U.S., of people being bitten by the severed heads of snakes.
Killer reflexes
For venomous snakes, such as cobras and rattlesnakes, biting is one of the reflexes that can be activated in the brain even hours after the animal dies, Beaupré told Live Science.
The bite reflex is stronger in venomous snakes than it is in some other carnivores because these snakes use their bite differently than other meat-eaters, Beaupré said. Unlike a tiger, for instance, which kills prey by sinking its teeth into an animal's flesh and holding on, snakes aim to deliver just one, extremely quick bite and then move away from their prey before getting trampled.
The rapid-fire attack can occur in less than a second, Beaupré said. In fact, rattlesnakes have been known to envenomate (inject venom into) prey in less than two-tenths of a second, he said.
It's likely that the cobra-chopping chef who reportedly died last week in China was a victim of the snake's quick reflexes, Beaupré said.
Posthumously pestilent
Unfortunately for the Chinese chef, a cobra's bite reflex can be triggered even hours after the animal dies, Beaupré said. The man reportedly picked up the snake's head just 20 minutes after he had chopped it off.
"Just because the animals has been decapitated, that doesn't mean the nerves have stopped functioning," Beaupré said. The bodies of snakes have been known to continue rising off the ground in a menacing pose, and even to strike out against a perceived threat, after they've suffered a beheading, he added.
These eerie postmortem movements are fueled by the ions, or electrically charged particles, which remain in the nerve cells of a snake for several house after it dies, Beaupré said. When the nerve of a newly dead snake is stimulated, the channels in the nerve will open up, allowing ions to pass through. This creates an electrical impulse that enables the muscle to carry out a reflexive action, like a bite.
"The bite and envenomation reflex is triggered by some kind of information that comes into the mouth cavity," Beaupré said. "My guess is that this guy put his hand in the snake's mouth after he cut it off. He probably put a finger in there or something and it triggered this response."
And the Chinese chef is far from the first person to ever have been bitten by a dead snake. In January 2014, a man in Australia was bitten by a venomous red-bellied black snake 45 minutes after he had chopped the creature in half with a shovel, according to the Daily Telegraph. The man survived the incident, but reportedly spent two days in the intensive care unit.
In 2007, a man in Washington state decapitated a rattlesnake with a shovel before bending down to clean up the remains, according to a report by the Associated Press. The dead snake bit him in the hand, but the man survived the incident.
Venomous snakes are scary when they're alive, but there's also reason to fear these fanged creatures after they're dead, a recent news report suggests.
The tale of a chef in China who was preparing a rare delicacy known as cobra soup and was fatally bitten by the decapitated head of one of the snakes he had chopped up for this unusual stew was reported last week, in the U.K. Daily Mirror.
While this story might sound too weird to be true, scientific evidence suggests it is entirely plausible.
"Snakes in general are well known for retaining reflexes after death," said Steven Beaupré, a biology professor at the University of Arkansas. Many ectothermic, or cold-blooded, vertebrae— including species of reptiles and amphibians— share this quality, he said.
In fact, there have been previous reports, including in the U.S., of people being bitten by the severed heads of snakes.
Killer reflexes
For venomous snakes, such as cobras and rattlesnakes, biting is one of the reflexes that can be activated in the brain even hours after the animal dies, Beaupré told Live Science.
The bite reflex is stronger in venomous snakes than it is in some other carnivores because these snakes use their bite differently than other meat-eaters, Beaupré said. Unlike a tiger, for instance, which kills prey by sinking its teeth into an animal's flesh and holding on, snakes aim to deliver just one, extremely quick bite and then move away from their prey before getting trampled.
The rapid-fire attack can occur in less than a second, Beaupré said. In fact, rattlesnakes have been known to envenomate (inject venom into) prey in less than two-tenths of a second, he said.
It's likely that the cobra-chopping chef who reportedly died last week in China was a victim of the snake's quick reflexes, Beaupré said.
Posthumously pestilent
Unfortunately for the Chinese chef, a cobra's bite reflex can be triggered even hours after the animal dies, Beaupré said. The man reportedly picked up the snake's head just 20 minutes after he had chopped it off.
"Just because the animals has been decapitated, that doesn't mean the nerves have stopped functioning," Beaupré said. The bodies of snakes have been known to continue rising off the ground in a menacing pose, and even to strike out against a perceived threat, after they've suffered a beheading, he added.
These eerie postmortem movements are fueled by the ions, or electrically charged particles, which remain in the nerve cells of a snake for several house after it dies, Beaupré said. When the nerve of a newly dead snake is stimulated, the channels in the nerve will open up, allowing ions to pass through. This creates an electrical impulse that enables the muscle to carry out a reflexive action, like a bite.
"The bite and envenomation reflex is triggered by some kind of information that comes into the mouth cavity," Beaupré said. "My guess is that this guy put his hand in the snake's mouth after he cut it off. He probably put a finger in there or something and it triggered this response."
And the Chinese chef is far from the first person to ever have been bitten by a dead snake. In January 2014, a man in Australia was bitten by a venomous red-bellied black snake 45 minutes after he had chopped the creature in half with a shovel, according to the Daily Telegraph. The man survived the incident, but reportedly spent two days in the intensive care unit.
In 2007, a man in Washington state decapitated a rattlesnake with a shovel before bending down to clean up the remains, according to a report by the Associated Press. The dead snake bit him in the hand, but the man survived the incident.
Same applies to Jibby too ha ha ha. BossKu boleh bangun kembali dan gigit kita semua. Racun.
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