Former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who laid the groundwork for the infamous Sheraton Move contributed to the collapse of his own Pakatan Harapan (PH) government after a mere 22 months in power. If he had no qualms of bringing down his own government, then what do you expect him to do with governments that he is not part of it?
“Proklamasi Melayu” was just another attempt from a frustrated leader to undermine the government headed by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He labelled Anwar as the dictator and the person responsible for the alleged cancellation of the two events organised for the “Malay Proclamation” gathering. Dr Mahathir was expected to be the keynote speaker. A man who used the infamous internal security act (ISA) to detain hundreds of political opponents has the temerity to label Anwar as the dictator.
Even the former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak has weighed in on the matter by saying that Mahathir should be the last person who should be calling others dictators and oppressors. He went on to describe Dr Mahathir’s condemnation of Anwar as a case of the pot calling the kettle black. It is not whether there is proof or not that Anwar ordered the cancellation of events marked for the declaration on Malays but there is something more sinister behind the move.
Tun M’s worries heightened?
Anwar’s crackdown on corruption relating to the Jana Wibawa stimulus financial package has resulted in the arrest and charging of three Bersatu leaders, including the head honcho Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Since there is no let up on the part of Anwar, there is concern that more corrupted leaders might be charged by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). There is lingering fear among those who were the recipients of the ill-begotten wealth that Anwar might cast his net wider to bring in those who enriched themselves and their families in the name of assisting the poor Malays.
In this respect, Anwar might even be contemplating about going after earlier leaders who had hand in robbing the country of billions. Dr Mahathir who has often being accused of assisting his cronies and relatives might have reason to be concerned. Perhaps this is the reason why he wants to destabilise the unity government in the name of “Proklamasi Melayu”.
Anwar might have oscillated on some matters earlier but he is taking on the bull by its horns. He has made it clear that there would be no compromise on corruption and other forms of malfeasance.
He has instructed the security agencies to monitor and take the appropriate measures to nab those using race and religion. No right-thinking Malaysians would want to disagree with Anwar. Ethnic and religious extremism must be curbed before they flare up to engulf the nation as a whole.
When Dr Mahathir was in power, he lambasted the Malays for not taking advantages of the economic opportunities that presented themselves. However, when he is not in power, he harps continuously on how the Malays have lost out to the non-Malays.
My question is simple: Why did he do to address the plight of the ordinary Malays for he was PM on two separate occasions – first, for a 22-year period and second, for 22 months. One thing is for sure: his cronies and family members amassed considerable wealth.
His contradictory politics has no traction in the Malaysian political arena. The fact that he and many others lost their deposits in the 15th General Elections (GE15) should be stark reminder that hate politics is no place in Malaysia. I think Anwar is doing the right thing. – Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy
Meanwhile, after two cancellations of his bookings to hold a “Proklamasi Melayu” gathering, the frustrated former prime minister told a press conference that Anwar was complicit in the matter, though he offered no proof.
Authorities at the venues who did not give reasons for their cancellations obviously preferred silence to saying something that would only give the spiral of expostulation and reply a nudge.This would open the floodgates to a back-and-forth that would lead to nowhere.Instead of taking their circumspection as a cue, Mahathir came out swinging at Anwar. He branded Anwar a “dictator”, saying the current PM is more oppressive towards the Malays than the British colonials had been.
Anwar’s defence against Mahathir’s brickbats gained support from an unexpected quarter. Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak weighed in with a Facebook posting that pointed out the irony in Mahathir’s branding of Anwar as a dictator. Najib’s criticism was of the “see who is calling the kettle black” variety. “Mr ISA calling others a dictator” chimed in the now-jailed former PM from his eyrie in Kajang Prison.
Najib was reminding the public that someone like Mahathir. who had used the now-rescinded colonial-era law, the Internal Security Act, to detain more than a hundred politicians and social activists during his time as prime minister, has to have much gall to accuse Anwar of being a dictator.
Mahathir cannot hope to win his battle of one-upmanship with Anwar, given the range of critics of him and what he had done during his two stints as PM. They say the reason Mahathir has long feared Anwar’s rise to the premiership is precisely because he expects this scrutiny once Anwar reaches the top post. - Anil Netto
The battle for Penang:
PH will hold the citadel...
The latest possible election date for Penang is October 1, although it maybe held before then. Perikatan Nasional (PN) is approaching the coming six state elections aggressively. PN will hold Kelantan and Terengganu. It will consolidate Kedah even further, and have some show in Negeri Sembilan.
Selangor will be a battle royale, with Pakatan Harapan and Umno expected to win with a reduced majority. PN is hoping that the “green wave” will prevail in the coming state elections. However, Penang will be a very different case, with a number of other factors that will influence the results.
Back in the 2008 electoral tsunami, the then Pakatan Rakyat opposition swept to power by winning 29 out of 40 seats in the Penang legislative assembly. The Lim Guan Eng-led opposition routed the Barisan Nasional which lost 27 seats. Gerakan, MCA and MIC were completely wiped out. Umno was left with 11 seats to become the opposition.
In 2018, Pakatan Harapan consolidated its hold by winning 37 seats in the legislative assembly, losing four after the Sheraton Putsch in February 2020. PH goes into the coming election with 35 seats (including two from Umno). PAS has just one seat (Kepala Batas) in the current legislative assembly. There are also four vacant seats (Bertam, Seberang Jaya, Sungai Acheh and Telok Bahang) with the Speaker exercising his power under the Penang anti-hoping law.
Penang is a DAP citadel...
Penang’s 1.7 million inhabitants are both ageing and shrinking.Penang was traditionally thought of as a Chinese-dominated state, but now the Malay and Chinese populations are fairly even at 40 percent each, with the Indian community contributing 10 percent.
On Penang Island, there are 18 seats which are primarily Chinese-dominated with the exceptions of Bayan Lepas, Pulau Betong, Telok Bahang and Batu Muang. Most of the Chinese-dominated seats are held by DAP or PKR with massive majorities and are extremely safe. Seats like Bagan Jermal, Bukit Tengah and Perai have high Indian populations, and could be swayed by any changing trends in the Indian vote. On the mainland, there are 22 seats which are Malay-dominated, except Bagan Jermal, Bagan Dalam, Perai, Padang Lalang, Berapit and Jawi.
Thus, it can be expected that DAP and PKR will almost certainly hold onto 26 seats at a minimum. PAS will hold onto Penaga in the northern part of the mainland, and PN should pick up Permatang Pasir, Beragan, Sungai Acheh and have a very good chance in Bayan Lepas and Telok Bahang, giving the PN six seats.
That leaves eight seats which are too hard to call. These include Bertam, Pinang Tunggal, Sungai Dua, Telok Ayer Tawar, Seberang Jaya, Peranti, Sungai Bakap and Pulau Betong. Even if PH doesn’t win any of these tight seats, they can still form a government with a simple majority. However, if PN can win them, that would give it an opposition of up to 14 seats in the new legislative assembly.
Potential surprises...
The recent arrest of Muhyiddin Yassin on corruption charges could create an “Abah effect,” something similar to what was seen with Najib Razak in the Johor state election last year. If this effect eventuates, then PN may perform much better in the tight seats.
If the Indian vote either turns against PH or fails to turn out to vote, this could disadvantage PH. Gerakan is planning to contest three seats they held up to the 2008 state election, including Pantai Jerejak, Batu Uban and Batu Muang. With a moderate percentage of Chinese voters in each seat, Gerakan is likely to be punished for collaborating with PN, (the opposite side to the “Abah effect”).
Voters are sophisticated in Penang and have a clear understanding of state verses federal issues. Penang has been run reasonably, but there is some grassroots pushback against what is sometimes perceived as arrogance by the state administration. We will only know how strong these feelings are with the results on election night.
In this state election, it’s DAP that will prop-up PKR, which is going through a patch of unpopularity at this time. This will be a strong message to prime minister Anwar Ibrahim as to the importance of DAP in supporting his administration.
34 seats will be a massive win for PH in Penang. 26 seats will be a disappointment. Likewise, six seats for PN should be expected, but 14 seats should give credence to the “green wave” factor. Penang will be an interesting state to watch. - Murray Hunter
Dulu kafirkan UMNO,
kini PKR lawan koran pula...
Hadi Awang kata dia sedang saksi pesta kezaliman kerajaan Perpaduan dengan menganggap pendakwaan terhadap Mahiaddian sebagai zalim. Alasan digunakan pendakwaan terhadap Mahiaddin dibuat selepas burukkan Mahiaddin di media massa?
Pesepsi Hadi itu langsung tak hormat badan siasatan dan kehakiman. Beliau tidak meletakkan kepercayaan langsung kepada kehakiman dan SPRM. Suatu sikap sungguh melampau.
pi ambil pula & jadikan dalil...
Anehnya Hadi sedar dan becoh menuduh kezaliman orang tetapi lupa kezaliman yang sedang dilakukan oleh puaknya sendiri. Puak² Hadi jadikan Quran sebagai perca kertas sahaja bila dibaca sekerat untuk fitnah orang dan ayat kebenaran menimpanya disembunyikan. Dia lupa perbuatan terkutuk itu mencemari agama.
Presiden Pas itu nampak pesta kezaliman dari sudut mata nafsu politiknya semata² namun lupa perbuatannya menunggang ayat² Quran secara murahan. Hadi sudah hilang nilai ulama yang memperjuangkan haq. - mso.
cheers.
Sumber asal: Does Dr.M have a motive to undermine Anwar’s unity govt?
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