Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad appears to have been tasked by his Umno party to play the villain, calling Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon to resign Gerakan president for failing to lead his party effectively.
According to Mahathir, Koh should make way for other more capable leaders in the party.
"If he is to lead Gerakan in the election then it may not bring the desired impact for BN. He has been there too long and is not effective and hence, he should resign," Mahathir told reporters on Friday.
"I am sorry to say this about Koh. Personally he is a very nice man but he has failed in his duty. Gerakan has failed as a result of this.
Overstaying and the pot calling the kettle black
The 62-year-old Koh had announced on Thursday he would not be contesting in the coming 13th general election, widely expected to be held within the next 3 months.
Although, Koh decribed it as an "ultimate sacrifice", while Umno leaders led by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin were quick to accept Koh's decision not to contest, few seasoned observers believed either men.
Many had suspected something amiss and told Malaysia Chronicle that it was merely a 'compromise solution' from Koh, while Muhyiddin was just 'making polite talk' until Umno was ready to tighten the screws on Koh and his faction in Umno.
On Friday, Mahathir did the job beautifully for his Umno colleagues. He even had time to fire a few broadsides at Abdullah Badawi, the prime minister who succeeded him and whom he dislikes for having over-turned or frozen many of his mega projects.
According to Mahathir, a leader must step down after causing a major failure - just as Badawi was forced to quit as Umno president and BN chief after the 2008 general elections.
"We should not overstay. That is why I resigned as I do not want to overstay my tenure as premiership and give Pak Lah a chance to show his capability. If not, nobody knows his credibility,”said Mahathir.
But although Mahathir resigned from active politics in 2003, he remains highly influential and many say he still calls the shots behind the schemes.
Malaysia Chronicle
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