No one can nor will work with treacherous Mahathir (except ... wakakaka)

FMT:

Waning support means Dr M won’t get the numbers, says analyst

Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s chances of becoming prime minister are increasingly slim, says an analyst

PETALING JAYA: A political analyst does not believe that Dr Mahathir Mohamad has the majority support of MPs to become prime minister for the third time in his lifetime.

The analyst, Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya, said Mahathir would have great difficulty in pulling off the feat, as the possibility of working with either the current government or opposition seemed to be waning by the day.

Mahathir’s new party, Pejuang, of which he is pro-tem chairman, has nominated him to be prime minister again, saying he was needed to head an interim government until the next general election in order to “save the country”.

However, Awang Azman noted that even MPs who were once Mahathir’s strong supporters – including former PPBM Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman – have started to distance themselves from him.

Awang Azman Pawi

He also noted that another Mahathir protege, Maszlee Malik, had also reportedly signed a statutory declaration in support of Anwar Ibrahim, who seeks to force the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“So, for now, I don’t see Mahathir having the numbers to be prime minister for the third time,” Awang Azman told FMT.

“There are at least two big parties, Umno and PKR, that won’t agree (with Mahathir becoming prime minister). Umno was under pressure when Mahathir was prime minister of the Pakatan Harapan government, with many leaving the party to join PPBM.

“PKR would surely want its president, Anwar, to be prime minister, not Mahathir,” he said.

Earlier this week, Anwar said he had informed the Yang di-Pertuan Agong that he had obtained convincing support from a majority of MPs, allowing him to form a new government.


‘Almost impossible for Dr M to bring down Muhyiddin’

Oh Ei Sun

Another political analyst, Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said Mahathir was trying to accomplish the “almost impossible” by bringing down Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin while also preventing Anwar from helming the top post.

He played down talk of Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah making a dash for the premiership as probably being just a ploy, although it was possible for the Kelantan prince to be made Mahathir’s deputy.

“I cannot tell if Mahathir has the numbers, but all of them are trying. Anwar is trying, Muhyiddin is trying to hold on, it would appear that Ku Li (Razaleigh) is teaming up with Mahathir. It really depends on what kind of offer they can give,” he told FMT.

He added that the Mahathir-Ku Li combination would probably only be open to Umno MPs whom Mahathir “liked” or did not consider to be “tainted”.

Awang Azman said Pejuang was just taking advantage of the ongoing political crisis by naming Mahathir as its candidate for the top post.

He said pictures of Ku Li with Mahathir were used to give the perception that there might be some form of cooperation between the two veteran leaders, although no official statements have been issued.

Adam Mukhriz Mohd Muhayeddin, a media officer to Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) chairman and Langkawi MP Dr Mahathir, took to Twitter to clear the air over the photograph which was the subject of public speculation.

“Since this photo became viral today, this photo was taken at Ku Li’s residence, about a month ago when Tun M was invited for dinner. Thank you,” he wrote in a brief tweet on his Twitter account, referring to Tengku Razaleigh by his popular moniker Ku Li and Dr Mahathir by his commonly known name Tun M.

But ...

Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan explained today that a photograph of him and his wife together with Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah was taken around four years back and is not recent.

The Parti Amanah Negara Jasin Parliamentary co-ordinator said that the photo currently being circulated was taken during the month of Syawal around 2016, after the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations.

“This is not a new photograph,” he said in a statement.

“I would like to state that this is not a recent photograph as touted by certain irresponsible quarters who only have malicious intentions on social media.

The photo shows Khairuddin next to his actress wife Umie Aida as she stands next to Dr Mahathir, with his wife Dr Siti Hasmah and the politician called Ku Li completing the frame.

Khairuddin also deflected claims of the picture being recent, as it showed Dr Mahathir with a lowered medical face mask, consistent with the practices during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The answer is that the habit of using a face mask is not something new for Tun Dr Mahathir because several years ago he was suffering from a lung infection.

“This just happens to be normal practice for the former prime minister,” Khairuddin wrote.

He also questioned the timing of the photo that had resurfaced and was circulated, alleging it was the work of those “‘fishing in troubled waters”.

“There are irresponsible people who are actively trying to create all types of speculations, at the point our country is going through a volatile period politically,” he wrote.The photo which has resurfaced and is being circulated while claiming to be recent has been aiding recent speculation over the political agendas of Umno's Tengku Razaleigh and Dr Mahathir.

Aisehman, "someone" ta'malu lah

He said Mahathir’s attitude made any cooperation with other parties difficult, adding that it was highly improbable for him to work with Muhyiddin after the numerous criticisms levelled at the prime minister.

Early last week, Mahathir submitted a fresh no-confidence motion against Muhyiddin, after earlier attempts did not succeed for lack of time at the Dewan Rakyat.

Other similar motions have been submitted to the Speaker.