Star Online - Dr M to TMJ: It’s all in the hands of the people (extracts)
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, responding to a jibe from Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, says only the people can remove him as Prime Minister.He reminded Tunku Ismail, who is popularly known as TMJ, that the latter’s post was “not permanent”.
“He thinks he is someone big, but he is just (someone) little. If he wants, vote lah to drop me. Only the people can change a prime minister with their votes.
“There was a time when the TMJ was changed and (the post was) given to his younger brother.
“So a TMJ can be replaced (but) a prime minister can only be changed by the people,” Dr Mahathir told a press conference at the China World Hotel here yesterday.
He was responding to a question about a video recording of Tunku Ismail saying that the Prime Minister should be replaced.
In the video, Tunku Ismail was seen leaving Stadium Larkin after a football match in which Johor Darul Ta’zim went down 0-1 to Shandong Luneng in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday.
The vehicle ferrying him stopped when a fan shouted “Change Mora”, in reference to the football club’s coach Benjamin Mora.
Tunku Ismail, who was seen in the front passenger seat, then put his head out of the window and retorted: “Instead of changing Mora, it’s better to change the Prime Minister.”
The vehicle ferrying him stopped when a fan shouted “Change Mora”, in reference to the football club’s coach Benjamin Mora.
Tunku Ismail, who was seen in the front passenger seat, then put his head out of the window and retorted: “Instead of changing Mora, it’s better to change the Prime Minister.”
While TMJ was 'naughty' in jibing at Mahathir, the Old Man ought to have conducted his more mature self better. Why respond in such silly manner to a young man?
Not to defend TMJ, but the reality remains that the young prince had only seized on an opportunity to riposte in a humorous way, though admittedly at Mahathir's expense.
Mahathir must be feeling ultra sensitive to (not jibe back but) 'threaten TMJ in such ominous warning.
I find the two's spat very childish, unbecoming of their respective stations and damn distracting when more important stuff are at stake for the PM and his cabinet.
Though Mahathir has been technically correct that only the people's votes can dismiss him, in practical sense it is the collective decision of the majority of the ruling coalition which decides whether he remains as PM.
Remember, the PM must command the confidence of the majority of MPs in Parliament (including opposition ones as well).
Again, technically the MPs represent the voice of the people but the point I want to make here is that it is NOT necessary to have an election to achieve that. All it needs to remove Mahathir as PM is a majority of MPs (again, including opposition ones) who express their wish to see him un-PM-ed, wakakaka.
Hypothetically speaking (of course wakakaka), if Rina Harun were to command the confidence of 112 MPs, she could kick out Mahathir and become Malaysia's first woman PM (and may Odin, Zeus and Manitou save us, not because she's a female but because she's Rina Harun, wakakaka again).
I did NOT find the TMJ jibe about removing the Prime Minister 'naughty'.
ReplyDeleteI found it offensive and dangerous for a member of a Constitutional Monarchy to say it.
Because the context of the moment is the Johor Royals placed severe pressure to have the Menteri Besar removed, as well as the removal of two Executive Council members that they didn't like their face.
It is unfortunate that the PH Government did not put a more determined resistance, but they obviously did not want an already ugly situation descend into a full Constitutional Crisis.
Mahathir was correct to remind the young Ciku barely out of his Mama's Pampers in no uncertain terms that the Prime Minister holds his job based on the confidence of the People (indirectly) through the majority in the Dewan Rakyat, which was established through a General Election.
There is no other "authority" having a say in it. Period.
Now is not the time for indirect language or mere hints.
Let's be fair to Toonsie. He was asked to respond to TMJ's jibe at a press conference in Beijing. What is he to do? Just ignore the reporter's question? That might seem to be evasive and may be interpreted as a sign of weakness. We can't have a PM who does not respond to a taunt by a minor royal, a budding shoot of a Sultan, maybe, young enough to be his grandson. Toonsie's response actually puts his position as PM in a rightful high place, and puts TMJ in his.
ReplyDeleteI heard that all the Johore Arabs will support Tun and Syed Saddiq. Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteI think both TMJ (too young to be wise enough) and TDM (easily irritable with age) and both with huge egos have both fallen into the trap of Deep State operatives who unknowingly to both of them are pawns in the "Wag the Dog" drama ie to distract the general populace with the objective of toppling a democratically elected Govt. or an escape route from justice for all those involved or to those fearful of a stop to their continuing and enjoying the grab/plunder gravy train from being exposed and or prosecuted.
ReplyDeleteIt may look like a Constitutional crisis brewing but will not be in the interest of Deep State operatives to have it actually occur since it neither benefits everyone nor the country whether it be now or the future in governing a democratic country and maintaining the Monarchy system.
The only way out is to remove first any suspected Deep State operatives by the PDRM to prevent continuing instigations by such plotters and ensure cooler heads will then prevail to come about to an amicable solution to a Constitutional problem created out of nowhere since the last one in 1993 in which the solutions to prevent another Constitutional crisis were already in place.
Cases closed!
ReplyDeleteMamak gets ALL his wishes despite the manmanlai antics of the blue bloods.