"There is no truth until it becomes a truth."

- Dr Mahathir Mohamad

If former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a spent force, then why is Umno so afraid of him? Furthermore, why is it that most Umno operatives I talk to fly into paroxysms of rage whenever the subject of political prisoner Anwar Ibrahim is broached?

While personality politics of course plays a role in this matter, the real reason - the most important reason - is that these former Umno members did what is anathema to Umno. They divided the Malay vote.

Many friends of mine, (considering what I had written of the former prime minister) are mortified of my sceptical support of this new alliance in the opposition. While I dismiss those criticisms drenched in schadenfreude, I take note of the cogent arguments against the former prime minster “hijacking the opposition for his own agenda”.

I have made the argument that having shared goals and reforms are mutually exclusive. This again made many question my loyalty to the forces of change in this country. To be clear, I do not have any loyalty to political parties in this country.

When I wrote - “Political adversaries working together is unfortunately what democracy is all about and this has nothing to do with having a saviour - an unfortunate straw man - but capitalising on political resources to overcome a political foe who is turning this country into another failed Islamic state” - I was acknowledging the realpolitik of the situation, not legitimising this meme that this new phase of political cooperation among the opposition in this country heralds a new dawn for Malaysia.

What I hope it heralds is the destabilisation of Umno hegemony and a recalibration of Malay, or should that be ‘Melayu’ politics, in this country. The former prime minster, as I said when I interviewed him, “paints in broad strokes not because he doesn't get the details but rather because the former allows him more control of the narrative and he understands that people more often agree on the bigger picture but get bogged down in the details. It is a useful political and rhetorical tactic that appeals to the pragmatic nature of the polity that has sustained him all through his political career.”

This meeting between Mahathir and Anwar is significant for two reasons. It is akin to a dog whistle for the anxious Malay polity, which is why Umno’s knickers are in a twist. Actually they have been in a twist for a long time, ever since the powerbrokers discovered the depths of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s financial malfeasances...