Archive for January 11th, 2018
Mahathir, for now, the only choice to lead opposition
Posted by Kit in Mahathir, Najib Razak, Pakatan Harapan on Thursday, 11 January 2018
Dr. I. Lourdesamy
Malaysiakini
5 Jan 2018
LETTER | The ongoing debate about whether Mahathir should be the opposition candidate for the next PM is politically bankrupt. It reflects poor understanding of political reality and the crisis the country is facing.
Those who oppose Mahathir base their argument on his past record. His 22 years of reign had inflicted much pain on many, including imprisonment for some. Democratic institutions were destroyed or eroded. It was a period of autocratic rule. Mahathir was no angel.
They argue how can we trust Mahathir with power again. Leopards do not change their stripes. He will kill any attempt at democratic reforms. ‘Reformasi’ will be dead. Anwar would have fought in vain.
The argument is not without merit, but it misses the point. The point is, how do you defeat the current government led by Najib who has shown to be a clever political strategist? To defeat the current government is not easy because Najib has built a political fortress that is extremely difficult for the opposition to penetrate. Read the rest of this entry »
GE 14
Allan CF Goh
11th Jan 2018
The coming election 14
Brings the loud howling of the wolves,
And the braying of the asses,
To proclaim the country is well,
That everything with us is swell. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad returns at 92 to lead the party he once opposed
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir, Najib Razak, Pakatan Harapan on Thursday, 11 January 2018
Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor
The Times, London
January 8 2018
He is a figure from another era, a contemporary of Thatcher and Reagan who was supposed to have retired from politics 15 years ago. Yet Mahathir Mohamad, the 92-year-old former prime minister of Malaysia, is once again in the running to lead his country, this time for the opposition he battled against for so many years.
At a convention of its four constituent parties, Dr Mahathir was chosen to lead the opposition into a general election that must be held by August. It will pitch him against the United Malays National Organisation, the party that he led as prime minister for more than two decades.
It puts him in direct competition with the prime minister, Najib Razak, who is embroiled in a multibillion-pound fraud scandal and under investigation by the US Justice Department. Most remarkably of all, it places him in alliance with the family and supporters of Anwar Ibrahim, the man who would almost certainly be leader of the opposition if he were not in prison for sodomy, an accusation first brought against him 20 years ago by his former friend and mentor, Dr Mahathir. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia’s unlikely alliance
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir, Najib Razak, Pakatan Harapan on Thursday, 11 January 2018
Editorial
The Australian
January 10, 2018
Amid the $US4 billion 1MDB corruption scandal surrounding Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government, the need for a strong opposition to contest the next general election, which could take place as soon as March, is incontrovertible. It remains to be seen, however, whether that can be achieved by the previously inconceivable alliance formed between 92-year-old former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and his one-time deputy Anwar Ibrahim, who is serving a second prison term on trumped up sodomy charges.
Dr Mahathir stepped down in 2003 after 22 years of authoritarian rule as leader of the United Malays National Organisation, which has ruled Malaysia exclusively since 1957. UMNO is now led by Mr Najib. Mr Anwar was Dr Mahathir’s deputy when they fell out 20 years ago. Mr Anwar was then targeted ruthlessly with the dubious allegations that saw him jailed.
Yet the two men — Dr Mahathir at the same age Robert Mugabe was when he was deposed, and Mr Anwar from his prison cell — have cobbled together an unlikely arrangement aimed at prising UMNO from its 60-year domination of Malaysia. That nation’s stability is of immense importance to our region, which is why Australia has close defence and security ties with it. Dr Mahathir will lead the campaign of the fractious Pakatan Harapan, Malaysia’s main opposition coalition. Should he win, he will seek a royal pardon to allow Mr Anwar to take over as prime minister. Read the rest of this entry »
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