Mafulat Machiavellian-ism at its Most Magnificent

From Asia Times - Mahathir’s last gasp for power and retribution (extracts):

This month it was announced that Anwar will be released from prison in early June, perhaps in time to join the opposition on the campaign trail, though he will not be eligible to contest the ballot. Najib has yet to announce when elections will be held; Anwar’s release might prompt a pre-June election.

The hope of many within Harapan is that if the opposition wins Mahathir will serve only temporarily as prime minister until Anwar is able to assume the role. He would need a royal pardon (not difficult if Harapan wins) and a parliamentary seat yield by another elected official for this to happen.

That hand-off is thought to have been the prerequisite for Anwar’s support of Mahathir’s ascension to Harapan’s leadership. But some within the DAP and PKR say privately that they are concerned Mahathir will not voluntarily step down if Harapan wins.

What if Mahathir becomes prime minister, forms a new coalition with UMNO (sans Najib), sidelines his Harapan partners and chooses his own successor, potentially a family member? Or, what if Mahathir becomes prime minister and refuses a hand-over to Anwar – will Harapan continue to support him just for the sake of power?

Conspiratorial thinking is a Malaysian pastime, not least because Malaysian politics is so often conducted conspiratorially, particularly in an election season. 

Exactly what I postulated in
A fool and his money are soon parted and prior to that, Mahathir's legacy - a Greater Pribumi?.

Those who know Machiavellian Mafulat-ish Mahathir can see that distinct probability, ... while those who can't or refuse to see, won't see nor be able to see, hence there's no point in further casting pearls before them, wakakaka.

Azmin Ali is probably one of those who can see, that Mahathir will NOT hand over power (in event Pakatan wins GE14) but to keep it so as to ensure his son's ascendancy either in a powerful Pakatan or more likely in UMNO, his own creation, or wakakaka, in a new combination of the two as per the Greater Pribumi I have mentioned.

Thus more Machiavellian Azmin (wakakaka) lays a trap for his Machiavellian Uncle, offering the Old Man his Gombak seat, when that Gombak seat has now become very iffy for Pakatan-PKR since PAS ta-ta-ed godobye to the coalition.

Early this year (04 Jan 2018) I discussed the iffy-ness of Gombak in my Pakatan PM & DPM-designate by a PKR member.

Mid last year Malaysiakini reported PAS wants Gombak back, Azmin in peril? (extracts):

Selangor PAS said it was "wajib (a responsibility)" to field candidates in Gombak, a parliamentary seat presently held by Selangor Menteri Besar and PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali. [...]

There are three state seats within the boundaries of the Gombak parliamentary constituency - Gombak Setia, Ulu Kelang and Batu Caves.

Of the three, PAS candidates won the election in Gombak Setia and Ulu Kelang, while Batu Caves went to a PKR candidate.

The above indicates that Gombak has a sizeable PAS following.

Sallehen's announcement comes in the wake of efforts by several top PKR leaders, including Azmin, to forge an electoral pact with PAS ahead of the next general election.

Is that why very recent rumours have it that Azmin Ali may be moving away from Gomabak to contest GE14 in Shah Alam?

Mid last year, July 2017, I posted PAS swanks in Permatang Pauh, but sucks in Exco Selangor in which I wrote (extracts):

... I hope PAS Selangor will consider contesting also the Gombak federal constituency (P98) in GE-14, wakakaka. 

Briefly, in 2013 there was an 87% turnout for Gombak, numbering 107,000 voters who did not play mahjong on election day, wakakaka.

Azmin won 52% of those votes while BN's Raman Ismail achieved 47.5% [stats to nearest decimal 5].

But what if PAS were to put up a candidate in Gombak in GE-14?

To have a rough idea, let's re-wind the Gombak elections back a bit to 2004, prior to the formation of Pakatan Rakyat, when only PAS contested the constituency against BN.

While the then-PAS candidate Mohd Hatta Md. Ramli did not win, he obtained 40% of the votes against BN's 60%, thus there was a considerable number of PAS supporters in Gombak. Some of those PAS voters might have supported Azmin in 2008 and 2013.

I have no doubt as to the effect a PAS entry into the Gombak election in GE-14 will pose for dear old Azmin.

By the by, DPM Ahmad Zahid has just declared he will personally oversee the BN's participation in Gombak in GE-14, in order to wrest back the federal constituency from Azmin Ali.

Azmin thus may face a double whammy, from his erstwhile PAS mateys and a DPM-led BN.

limpeh kasi azmin see kaukau, wakakaka 

Thus I had then asked whether Azmin Ali will be staying steadfast in Gombak for GE-14? Wakakaka. Rumours have it he's scooting off to Shah Alam, much to the alarm of Amanah's Khalid Samad.

But Azmin has more or less confirmed his intended seat-shift now by his "generous" offer of the poisonous-to-Pakatan seat of Gombak to his Uncle and current competitor for Pakatan's PM-designate.

See FMT's PAS: Azmin not safe in Gombak, Mahathir more so.