The Empire strikes back – and the plot for a putsch by reactionary anti-democratic forces thickens with the call for a return of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to Putrajaya.

The blog by former Information Minister and one of Mahathir’s top propaganda minions, Tan Sri Zainuddin Maidin, for the return of Mahathir to Putrajaya to help the Barisan Nasional federal government “tackle raging racial, religious and economic issues” is not only a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak but marks a new stage in the conspiracy and plot by reactionary anti-democratic forces in UMNO and Barisan Nasional government for a putsch.

Recent signs and developments that the plot and conspiracy of the reactionary anti-democratic forces in UMNO and Barisan Nasional government for a putsch, whose objective seems to be still fluid ranging from a minimum programme for a halt and change of the various transformation programmes launched under the Najib administration regardless of the extent of their implementation to a maximum programme for a change of Prime Minister, include the following:

*Growing disenchantment of the public at the lack of leadership and direction by the Prime Minister, who seemed to have lacked the political will and vision to end the spate of highly divisive racial and religious issues in the country;

*The escalation of a campaign to create a “hot-house” atmosphere of national instability and unrest caused by a slew of racial and religious controversies, the latest being the illegal and unconstitutional raid by Jais on the Bible Society of Malaysia;

*The demand for restoration of the Internal Security Act, first made by Mahathir himself but immediately supported by the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar who was prepared to hazard the charge of being insurbordinate to the Prime Minister and the fulsome support by the UMNO media, Utusan Malaysia; and

*Call for the return of Mahathir to be the “de facto” Prime Minister before the ultimate call for a new Prime Minister.

Zainuddin Maidin is testing the waters whether the country is prepared for a return of Mahathir to Putrajaya.

Malaysia does not need a return of Mahathir to Putrajaya or a resurrection of the past Mahathirish policies which have caused the loss of millions of the best and brightest talents from Malaysia who could have taken Malaysia to a higher and faster rate of economic development, even ensuring that Malaysia would have already become a high-income developed country as is the case with Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan which were more backward and underdeveloped than Malaysia in the early decades of Malaysia’s Independence.

Mahathir and Mahathirism must bear the greatest responsibility for Malaysia’s failure to fully exploit its natural and human resources, resulting in the lack of good governance; rampant corruption, cronyism and abuses of power; the destruction of institutional independence of the civil service and important bodies like the judiciary, the police, the anti-corruption agency, the Elections Commission; disregard for human rights and a catalogue of national ills in the 22-year premiership of Mahathir.

The return of Mahathir and Mahathirism will be the worst answer for the solution of Malaysia’s many problems, which stem from the lack of political will and vision to steer the country towards a new direction as a united, harmonious, just, democratic and competitive Malaysia.