Mahathir must go, Lim KS to blame

FMT:

Go with dignity by May 9, says Syed Husin to Dr M

by Joel Shasitiran

Former PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali has urged the prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to make way for Anwar Ibrahim 

SHAH ALAM: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was urged today to step down “with dignity” by May 9 next year, and hand over to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

Former PKR deputy president Syed Husin Ali made the call while speaking at a dialogue session during the convention of the pro-Anwar Otai Reformis 98 group held here.

A resolution adopted by Otai Reformis 98 echoed Syed Husin’s call. The resolution urged that a clear date for the transfer of power be announced, and for Anwar to take over by May 10.

Syed Husin said at the dialogue that the agreed timeline among Pakatan Harapan leaders before the 2018 general election was for Anwar to take over as prime minister after he had obtained a royal pardon for his conviction and jail sentence on a sodomy charge.

Syed Husin said: “At that time, it was written that Anwar is Mahathir’s successor, but it did not note how many months or years.

“What was understood by all parties is that Anwar will take over when he gets his royal pardon. Every party understood that the power transition will take two years.”

Anwar and Mahathir have been at odds over when the change should take place, with Anwar standing by a written agreement among PH leaders that the transfer of power should be made within the first two years of Pakatan Harapan forming the federal government.
Syed Husin said that the question now was whether Mahathir would stick to his promise and hand over to Anwar.

“Now we see him being vague — first he said two years, then he said three years, and then he says by the end of 2020,” said Syed Husin.

He urged Mahathir to “step down with dignity and prudence” by May 9 next year.

Mahathir has come under increasing pressure to hand over power after Pakatan Harapan suffered an overwhelming defeat at the Tanjung Piai by-election earlier this month.

The PH candidate, Karmaine Sardini of PPBM, lost by over 15,000 votes to Barisan Nasional candidate Wee Jeck Seng of MCA.

After the by-election, Syed Husin said the by-election had been a referendum on Mahathir’s government.

Several Pakatan Harapan MPs have also pinned the blame for the defeat on Mahathir and urged that he step down.

Going back 18 months before Tanjung Piai, on that evening (and subsequent morning) of 09 May 2018, amidst the Pakatan jubilation, the following happened:

(a) Wan Azizah was happy that with the Pakatan victory, a royal pardon would be made possible and pending for hubby Anwar Ibrahim who would finally be freed after years of ins & outs of jail and incarceration - thus she declined HM's invitation for her to take charge of the new government because all she cared for was the royal pardon for hubby,

(b) Mahathir was salivating at the thought of becoming PM once again (as per the Pakatan agreement, but only until Anwar received the royal pardon but Maddy probably said 'Eff that') and getting his revenge on Najib who had the temerity to ignore His Royal-ish Imperative Commands. He had/has in mind three principal objectives, namely:

(i) to eff Najib kaukau to kingdom come (such was his venomous hatred for Najib),

I'm gonna kerabu you kaukau 

(ii) to make his Pribumi Parti become Numero Uno in the Malay World (he was actually shocked and disappointed his PRIBUMI failed miserably, getting only 13 seats out of 54 contested - the Heartland had given him two fingers) so as to resurrect his beloved UMNO II into UMNO III but which he has to alternatively achieve by reneging IMMEDIATELY on his pre-election promise not to accept UMNO frogs into PRIBUMI, which he needs to use to,

(iii) protect his precious 3 chye-chye's.

(c) Mat Sabu was thinking of going home to cook up a wonderful feast to celebrate - which no doubt would have included budu, wakakaka, and

love that budu - makes 'man' out of you

wakakaka 

(d) Lim Kit Siang was stunned, with unfamiliar realisation dawning on him that finally, after 60 long years, the DAP will be part of the new government - wonder whether his chye-chye would be made ... hmmm ... maybe Minister of Transport? ... hmmm too ambitious .. maybe Minister of Works? ... nah, maybe ... Minister of federal Territories ... hmmm?

But when Atuk made his chye-chye the Finance Minister, albeit a very much diluted one, basically in a book-keeping function (c'mon, you didn't expect Atuk to ever confer a powerful ministerial position to a Chinese without some humongous reduction in that position's power?), his dreams became wet, very wet, and from that point he pampers Atuk in every way, which has been why Atuk could revert to Mahathirism, which infuriating increments over the last 18 months, with go-starn-ings, capatis, U-turns and even a Car No 3 etc, brought Pakatan Harapan to its nadir in Tanjung Piai.

Thus the whole sorry saga has been Lim Kit Siang's lack of 'check & balance' acumen on the Old Wicked Man in his wonderment bliss at his own chye-chye seeming political elevation.

Ironically, Mahathir's blaming the DAP for Pakatan's disastrous massacre in Tanjung Piai has in an indirect roundabout way been correct (see FMT's
DAP, cost of living at centre of voter unhappiness), though it has not been the DAP Party per se nor its members, but Lim Kit Siang himself who has been far too enamoured of the "honours" bestowed on his chye-chye by his old foe/new emperor, to keep a firm assertive 'check & balance' on a very dangerous Mahathir, wakakaka.

Lim Kit Siang's culpability in his omission in diligence to keep a beady eye on Mahathir in this respect has been all the more blameworthy because he has already known the wicked ways of the Old Man for nearly half a century.