YOURSAY ‘He talks as if corruption in Umno Baru is a post-Mahathir phenomenon, when everyone knows it's his legacy.'

My son's not the chosen one, laments Mahathir

Doc: So what is the problem, Dr Mahathir Mohamad? You claim in Umno, corruption is widespread (which any idiot in Malaysia is aware of) and if money is needed to buy votes, then go with the flow.

There is a claim that you are sitting on a fortune worth RM44 billion, so use some of that money to buy votes, just like the good old fashioned Umno way.

After all, once your son Mukhriz becomes the next PM, he can follow in your footsteps and return your investment.

Jehangir: Neither were you, Mahathir, the "chosen one" - Hussein Onn chose Ghazali Shafie but you managed to slip in via the back door. Your son will have no such luck, he will bite the dust.

Sirach: Mahathir is amazing. He talks as if corruption in Umno Baru is a post-Mahathir phenomenon, when everyone knows it's his legacy. By trying to downplay Mukhriz's chances, one cannot help but think that the old fox is up to his Machiavellian tricks again.

Real Truth: Who created the culture of money politics? It has gone from party politics to national politics where the ruling party wins by giving money.

As a long-standing politician and a former PM, your admission of widespread corruption and money politics is welcome, however your inability to arrest it is very unwelcome.

Fairnessforall: One of you is already enough. You have destroyed the country, we don't need your son to continue where you left off.

MockingYou: Many progenies of past Umno leaders have been measured, weighed and found wanting in every way. Is little "m" exceptional based on his own merits? Read meritocracy.

Mushiro: This is last-minute desperate campaigning by Mahathir for his son Mukhriz who has no leadership abilities. Mahathir is now using a sympathy tactic and by tonight he may even cry in public for his son.

When the tide is not on Mahathir's side, then we hear him crying foul for every small things, and yet these are the very things that Mahathir practised when he was PM.

Louis: Mahathir is tasting his own medicine. He knew money changed hands even during his time, but he chose to turn a blind eye to them. Now it happens, he has forfeited his right to complain.

Anonymous #07443216: Mahathir, I see you are not very happy being on the receiving end. Well, you started this money politics and your students mastered it. Now that you are tasting it yourself, it's real fun to see you crying foul. Tsk, tsk... padan muka.

James Dean: Muhkriz will not be where he is now without he being Mahathir's son. Muhkriz is not dissimilar to Najib Razak.

Najib in his over 30 years in politics has not said anything intelligent or anything befitting a senior politician and yet he is the prime minister today. Likewise Muhkriz, too, has nothing intelligent to show and today he is vying for Umno vice-president.

Mahathir, you are still active in politics today not because you love Malaysia but you are active because you want to protect the ill-gotten assets you and your cronies have amassed.

Indeed, the Biro Tatanegara (BTN) that you set up has succeeded in producing the kind of academics such as Universiti Malaya lecturer Mohd Asri Mohd Ali.

Ramachandran Muniandy: Mukhriz is the dark horse. We in Kedah believe whether he is in the presidential line-up or not, he has a good chance to win.

He has not even completed a year after taking over as menteri besar of Kedah but we can see changes. Umno delegates, if you favour the corrupt then only God can save the Malays and Umno.

Ferdtan: I guess the lowering of the chance by Mahathir for his son Mukhriz to win a seat in the vice-president contest are two possible reasons; one is for sympathy votes as an underdog and secondly, not to associate and link his son's defeat to him.

He is pre-empting that his son's defeat will not pull him down together under the water. From the benefit of hindsight it looks like the candidacy of Mukhriz for one of the top party posts may turn out a fatal disaster, a big risk, for Mahathir's presumptive popularity and power in Umno.

Say what he may, Mahathir cannot run away a fact that Mukhriz is his son; Mukhriz's failure will be his failure - politically. That failure may even end the era of Mahathirism.

With this defeat, many of his supporters would find out in horror that he no longer still wields power and authority within the party and the country. The ghost of invincibility of Mahathir would be exorcised once and for all. Like any long reigning sports champion, once defeated, his opponents will fear him no more.

Titleist: Tun, take out your little ‘black book' and expose the corrupt. New faces will then be elected and Mukhriz will continue your legacy.

Anonymous #70881335: To fight corruption, to fight money politics, you must set an example yourself, Tun. Now that you are on the 'receiving end', you lament and complaint about it. Too little, too late.

And who suffer? Malaysia and its rakyat. Instead of a bright future, we face an uncertain bleak one.

Slumdog: Mahathir is speaking from personal experience about the shenanigans that take place in Umno elections - delegates choose the person that is perceived to be the president's choice, money talks and corruption is widespread.

He has admitted that under his watch all these rotten and corrupt activities took place and what did he do? Nothing. So now what will Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Registrar of Societies (ROS) do? Nothing.

Mahathir supported Najib and Muhyiddin Yassin for the top two positions. Now that Mukhriz will possibly not win a vice-president's post, he says that "maintaining the status quo in Umno's top leadership is not good for the party".

Mahathir has got to be the most disruptive and obnoxious stumbling block to the advancement of democracy and good governance in Umno and Malaysia. Najib has outsmarted Mahathir by pushing for the status quo and surrounding himself with his supporters, thereby excluding Mukhriz from the VP's post.

Mahathir will be back with a vengeance. Watch your back, Najib.

Salleh Nordin: Hello Mahathir, you started the nonsense and now you live by the nonsense. That is why you should always strive for fair play or else it will hit you where it hurts the most in the future.

Faham tak (Understand?). That is what Malaysians have been trying to tell you in the 22 years when you were in power. Tapi (But) you were too arrogant.

Fourtan: Umno is robbing you in broad daylight and telling it to your face. Wow, why are we so stupid?

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