YOURSAY | ‘A picture paints a thousand words. But now, two pictures.’

Dr M explains pre-Sheraton meeting photo, why he didn't go to palace

Annonymous: A picture paints a thousand words - former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad at a secret meeting with then opposition leaders (Umno and PAS). What else can we draw from this meeting? He was conniving with these leaders to pull out from Pakatan Harapan.

He claims that he was fighting the thieves and kleptocrats and it was weird that he would want to work with them. But Mahathir has no hesitation to sit with the Umno president (Zahid Ahmad Hamidi) who is facing scores of charges over corruption to discuss the pullout by Bersatu.

The very fact that he said he wanted to think about the matter suggests that he had during his leadership role at Harapan harboured the thought of leaving Harapan. Never mind that he said he needed time to decide on the pullout.

Harapan would have remained stronger had Mahathir been steadfast and committed to his cause with his coalition partners instead of wavering to suit his own political agenda. It would have been tremendous support for the bloc had Mahathir outrightly rejected the overtures from then opposition leaders from the onset.

Leaders from Harapan should ponder carefully and seriously if Mahathir can be trusted again to be part of the coalition.

Undecided: Looking at the photo of the secret meeting, Mahathir does not seem to be actively involved with the discussion. This photo was taken by one of the conspirators to be used against Mahathir should things not end up as planned.

I believe that the betrayers did give Mahathir one week to decide. When he realised that the process had been short-circuited without his agreement, he must have been livid with rage.

This explains why he decided to resign as chairperson of Bersatu and as prime minister as he was confident his unity government would be accepted. However, it did not turn out his way as no party wanted it.

Based on the unity government idea, it is also clear that he never intended to leave the Harapan partners high and dry.

Proarte: “Baling batu sembunyi tangan” (Throw a rock and then hide your hand) - this Malay proverb encapsulates Mahathir's role in this shameful saga.

It also shows Mahathir's total weakness within Bersatu and his deceitful modus operandi. Mahathir cannot have his cake and eat it.

Mahathir and all of Malaysia know that he deliberately set out to undermine Harapan from the very outset when the coalition won the election in 2018. He then created divisions within the government to further his own agenda.

What use is Mahathir to Harapan given that he revealed at the secret meeting, which was hosted in his own house, that “I don't like (PKR president) Anwar (Ibrahim) and I don't like DAP”?

What pact can Bersatu have with DAP and PKR if Mahathir says he dislikes the two largest parties in the Harapan coalition? He may as well have joined Muhyiddin and the others from Bersatu and PKR in Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Indeed Mahathir, I believe, can better serve Malaysia by being in PN. He can bring about change “from within” Umno and Bersatu to make sure the corrupt do not control the levers of power or the country's coffers.

Mahathir dislikes DAP, PKR and Anwar, so this will only serve to create suspicion with his actions and pronouncements if he remains in Harapan. It is time for Mahathir to bow out of the coalition.

Kim Quek: It is clear that the pivotal Harapan meeting on Feb 21 (where Harapan left it to Mahathir to decide on transition date) had caused Mahathir to rethink his plan to leave Harapan for a union with Umno (minus those on trial) and PAS to form an all-Malay coalition.

That meeting had also panicked former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali into a frenzy of manoeuvres that ended with the Sheraton coup, which obviously displeased Mahathir.

But despite Mahathir’s last-minute about-turn on leaving Harapan, that doesn’t make him a fitting candidate for Harapan’s PM.

His scheming against Harapan right from day one of his premiership and his sabotage against Harapan’s institutional reform agenda, plus his ideological rigidity on racism and his incurable autocratic bent have disqualified him outright as Harapan’s future PM.

History will only repeat itself if he is chosen to lead a future Harapan-centric coalition again – even for a limited period, with or without a written agreement.

The Wakandan: Mahathir's game plan was clear - prevent Anwar to become PM thus to renege on Harapan’s plan. At the same time, he did not want to be seen as doing it.

His ideal choice was to be PM until the next election, which he hoped by that time Bersatu would be strong enough after being bolstered by defecting Umno MPs.

The GE15 candidates would be based with the latest status quo which sees Bersatu eating into PKR territory and emerge as the dominant party in Harapan. They then have enough clout to get the PM position and possibly after Mahathir, son Mukhriz would take over.

This would explain why Mahathir had an unclear stand in the February coup. The plan nevertheless took a life of its own with the traitors going ahead without Mahathir.

Capo: The buck stops with Mahathir. I don't entirely put the blame on Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and Azmin. These two would not have the guts to bring about the collapse of Harapan without Mahathir’s blessings.

If Harapan did not collapse in February, it would have collapsed after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit anyway because Harapan had a prime minister who never respected the significance of honouring one's spoken and written word.

Harapan might as well remain in the opposition and fight it out in GE15, backed by ‘people power’, than allow Mahathir to lead Harapan again.

Malaysia Bharu: Too little too late. Explanations at this stage is not about to change anything.

Had Mahathir only kept the promises made and behaved as the PM for all Malaysians, I doubt Muhyiddin or anyone else in his fold would have even dared to contemplate the move committed.

In fact, can he deny grooming Azmin precisely for the role he played in undermining Anwar and decimating PKR? Did Mahathir raise as much as a whimper as the shameless protege went around openly wheeling and dealing with questionable people to sell the frogs to the highest bidder?

While every voter - young, old and sickly - that gave Harapan the mandate played their role to perfection, Mahathir once in power spurned them every which way in pursuit of his personal agenda and self-glory to the point today, he is as good as the goons in his wayward party - a party that would do anything for power and glory, and is no different from its predecessor.

Fair Play: They say a picture paints a thousand words. But now, two pictures. Mahathir, how to convince the people that they can still “trust” you?

Anonymous_158372: I think a great analogy for the current situation is the original three Star Wars films. The first, ‘A New Hope’, was the election where the rebels defeated the evil emperor and his cronies.

The second is ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, which is the Sheraton Move. Now we are living through ‘Return of the Jedi’ where Mahathir and Anwar will defeat the evil empire and return democracy to Malaysia.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.