COMMENT The quick answer is, “Yes, but…”

Dennis Ignatius, a veteran of Malaysia’s foreign service, recently wrote an article in which he said, “Mahathir may not be the ideal candidate to lead the charge for change but, like it or not, he is now the only one with the experience, the standing, and the gravitas to seriously challenge Umno-BN.”

Dennis said that “our nation is deteriorating rapidly, and our democracy is dying.”

I agree with both points that Dennis made.

The question is - why should we give former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad a chance?

Every time Mahathir’s challenge to PM Najib Abdul Razak is raised, there has been no shortage of people who point out that it was Mahathir who subverted Malaysia’s political institutions, which Najib has now used to his advantage. There is no shortage of people who point to the corruption and cronyism that occurred during Mahathir’s era.

But to me, there is no comparison between Mahathir’s day and the incredible kleptocracy that we see today under Najib.

In the old days, people were content to steal millions. Then it was tens of millions. Now, under Najib, it is billions that have disappeared.

In the old days, Siti Hasmah was respected; today Rosmah is despised.

In the old days, Mahathir flew on Malaysia Airlines (MAS); today Rosmah and Najib fly around the world for shopping trips on private jets...