YOURSAY | ‘We all know all this of Mahathir but nevertheless we gave him another chance.’
Don’t Just Talk: A very good write-up by Sungai Pelek state assemblyperson Ronnie Lui.
There was much joy in the air on May 10, 2018, when Pakatan Harapan was declared the winner of the 14th General Election. That joy was like a second Merdeka for Malaysians.
However, after 18 months, the joy has slowly faded away when nothing positive and of value took place except for the numerous corruption and criminal charges against certain Umno leaders.
The wearing of black or white shoes, and the idea of introducing khat as a syllabus in primary four upset Malaysians. The promise to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) was not followed through.
Worse still, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s speech in the United Nations had offended India, one of the main importers of our palm oil.
Palm oil is our country’s biggest commodity earner and this will affect the earnings of both plantation companies and Felda settlers.
Mahathir needs to step down as PM after his two-year term as agreed among the Harapan parties and allow PKR president Anwar Ibrahim a free hand to bring Malaysia into the 21st century.
Evin K: Liu is a hypocrite. Clearly, by his own definition, he is doing the exact same thing he is accusing of Mahathir.
He is sowing discord amongst the parties in Harapan by discrediting its chairperson and the very party (Bersatu) he founded to replace the once indestructible Umno.
Perhaps Liu needs reminding that Pakatan Rakyat dropped the ball not once but twice in its attempt to take over the government when Anwar was heading the coalition.
Liu forgets that it is through the leadership Mahathir that Harapan won GE14, not Anwar. In fact, if it wasn’t for Mahathir, Anwar would still be in prison.
Mahathir is a master strategist and without him, Harapan wouldn’t have stood a chance in GE14, and perhaps Liu wouldn’t have been an elected representative today.
Regardless of how many seats Bersatu clinched in GE14, it was the Mahathir factor that garnered the additional seats for Harapan. It was those initial additional Bersatu seats, albeit only 13, that had made that simple majority possible.
Whether Liu likes it or not, Malays make up the majority of this country, and the intense racial scaremongering by Umno/PAS is making matters worse. If Mahathir doesn't take the lead to pacify the majority of this country, then who will?
The Malays must look at Harapan as their beacon of hope as well, just as much as the non-Malays have. Liu doesn’t understand Malay sentiments, and how can he, as he is not Malay.
If Anwar himself is not hard up for a specific handover date, and he has many a time stated that he is confident that Mahathir will pass the baton to him at the right time, then why is Liu jumping the gun?
Anwar has also requested persistently for all to continue to support Mahathir’s leadership. If DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, Mahathir’s fiercest critic in the past, is in full support of the prime minister, why is Liu crying wolf?
Odysseus: Liu, you speak on behalf of so many millions of voters that are getting agitated with the old man's behaviour.
Mahathir’s actions and words are hurting the country more each day in terms of national unity and the economy. He is a loose cannon who goes about insulting everyone in this country and also overseas.
He should step down while he still has the respect of the rakyat. Perhaps, his family members should advise him to quit as he is showing signs of being a senile old man
Siva1967: We all know all this of Mahathir but nevertheless we gave him another chance. Now that he has apparently reneged on his original promise, the only thing left is to call for a vote of no confidence.
If PKR, DAP, Amanah, Warisan and Upko fail to win the vote, so be it. If DAP is doomed to always be on the opposition bench, so be it. We can live to fight another day.
There is nothing anyone can do if the far-right Malay parties decide to band together and call the shots as what is being allegedly brewed by Umno leader Hishammuddin Hussein.
If the majority of Malays feel like they are being “suppressed” in their own country, although all important and key and plum positions are “reserved for them, so be it.
There is nothing the non-Malays can do. The only thing left is to emigrate, like those in Hong Kong. Do we want that? Surely, we don’t.
So, the best thing that can be done is to shake up the parliament and call for a no-confidence vote against the PM.
If a snap election is called and if BN and Umno do come back to power, let that be as well because if that happens, the Malays, who are the majority, deserve the government they voted for.
Apanakdikato: Mahathir has clearly crossed the boundary between the rakyat’s interests and his personal interests.
What is not acceptable is that Mahathir is now pursuing his personal agenda and certainly at the expense of the rakyat’s wellbeing and the country’s economy.
If he has the strong urge to do so, then he should step down as the PM and spend the rest of his life spewing his myopic and unsolicited opinions from his rocking chair at his own expense.
What moral right does Mahathir has now to pursue his personal agenda which are not important to the country when his government has failed to fulfil all its electoral promises?
The rakyat who voted for Harapan is watching very closely. They should remember that the rakyat voted out Umno/BN to get rid of Najib Abdul Razak. Don’t let the rakyat vote Harapan out to get rid of another man - Mahathir.
Anonymous_1543475877: Reading all the comments here and in private conversations, it is obvious that Mahathir is the problem.
Remind him of what he proclaimed when he was made PM: "I am taking this job because the parties want me to. But I will leave when they no longer want me."
So why not tell him it is time to leave? We can wait until May 2020 provided he does not make more embarrassing statements.
I hope he leaves when the time comes. But is there a plan B?
The Analyser: This article was inevitable. What’s so surprising is that it took so long to emerge.
You forget, Liu, that the only reason Mahathir has been able to be so destructive is that all along Harapan has been compliant to his wishes.
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