The battle of the seniors: Nik Aziz joins Karpal to fight Dr M

81-year old PAS spiritual adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat has come to help 71-year old DAP chairman Karpal Singh fend off the 85-year old former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who is notorious for his snide comments and ruthless disregard for fact when harpooning political rivals who get in his way.

“As far as I can remember, the person who had sent a letter to the Kelantan government in opposition over hudud laws at one point of time was Mahathir Mohamad and not Karpal Singh," Nik Aziz wrote in his Facebook.

“Perhaps this person named Mahathir has forgotten, for the purpose of refreshing his memory I can show him the letter, it is still in my possession."

Whichever of the three political elders had forgotten who had said what and when during their multi-decades careers is less important now, although at one time it was significant enough to make the DAP pull out from the Barisan Alternatif in 2004.

But 7 years hence, three of which were spent with the DAP and PAS forced to learn to work together, time has made a world of difference. In 2004, DAP withdrew on fears that PAS' insistence on an Islamic state would compromise its secular stance and cost it its voters.

Discrediting PAS

Fast forward to 2008. After the landmark 12th general election, DAP, PAS and PKR formed the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. Their birth was a baptism of fire, with Mahathir's UMNO party and BN coalition firing broadsides non-stop.

But the maturity of the PAS and DAP senior leaders helped them to pull through, and they succeeded in fending off one attack after another. Last weekend, PAS members made a historic decision to focus on a welfare state, although the party will still retain its Islamic agenda and character.

The shift in policy will improve its relationship with the secular DAP, but more importantly, it will enable PAS to compete with UMNO for the Malay middle ground.

As such, it was not surprising that Mahathir tried to poke fire with a few cracks at Karpal and PAS. Other UMNO leaders including his son Mukhriz, Prime Minister Najib Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin have already preceeded him in trying to discredit the PAS transformation.

"The person who won big did not attend the muktamar (congress) and is not even a PAS member. That person is Karpal Singh. His fight against PAS’s plans to build an Islamic state which would have enforced hudud law has been achieved,” wrote Mahathir.

"PAS no longer has to cross over Karpal’s dead body, nor does Karpal have to die. He is not even dead and PAS has made its struggle for an Islamic state a matter of secondary importance, now that PAS will be fighting for a welfare state instead.”

Repent

Mahathir was referring to Karpal's famous statement that he would allow PAS to create an Islamic state only over his dead body.

Earlier on Wednesday, Karpal had already fired back at the "over the hill" former premier, who ruled Malaysia with a fist of iron from 1981 to 2003.

"He has done many wrongs and he should use the years ahead of him to bertaubat(repent) on how he has wronged the country and the rakyat (populace) over the years,” Karpal told reporters on Wednesday.

It remains to be seen if the feisty Mahathir will respond to the double-barrelled return-fire from the Pakatan duo. If he does, Malaysians can be assured of more bile and vitriol, although most are by now fairly immune to his line of thought. - Malaysia Chronicle