Dr M, doesn't BN want to rule forever?

YOURSAY 'No one will, or should be, allowed to rule eternally as long as the people are given the true democratic means to decide on the nation's leadership.'

Pakatan will want to rule forever, warns Mahathir

Faz: It is on a sad note that I have to disagree with former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad on this issue. You're not an angel yourself and what you said of Pakatan Rakyat can equally be applied to Umno-BN, such as the unwillingness to let go the rein on power.

Your view that only Umno-BN is capable to do good work is debatable as more and more cases of blatant corruption by the ruling coalition are being exposed.

Just Sp: Dear Dr Mahathir, when I was growing up, you were our beloved prime minister. In our eyes, you could do no wrong. But as we got older, we were not so sure.

Then you retired from your position. Even then, we held you in the highest regards because DSAI (Anwar Ibrahim) was not exactly an angel while in the power.

But things have changed so much in the last decade - corruption is at its heights and the police force has lost the respect from the rakyat.

We wish sometimes you would shut your mouth. You are not talking in the interest of the nation nor its future. To us, your actions are detrimental to all that we are trying to achieve. Have you not reaped enough?

Nobody can hold on to power forever. Just let us decide what we want for our future.

YF: The fact is, Mahathir, you brought this upon yourself. You reap what you sow. If you have been clean, you would not fear the wrath of the rakyat. Now that your evil deeds have been exposed by your minions, you fear the justice that awaits you.

Well, even if you are able to avoid justice on earth, the one down there awaits you still. And that's where you and your minions belong. No amount of religious hypocrisy is going to save you from it.

Lin Wenquan: And why not Pakatan Rakyat rule forever if it can prove that it can bring about real changes for the betterment of the nation, rather than promises of cosmetic 'transformation'?

The truth is, right now Umno-BN is desperately trying to cling on to power. So what the premise of his argument?

The only "good things that the party has brought to the country" is to enrich their cronies and kin by looting the state treasury to feed their insatiable avarice to sustain a profligate lifestyle.

Of course, there are the occasional goodies dished out with the attendant propaganda to boot, to lull the naive into believing that they have a benevolent and caring government and not realising the grim reality of spiralling inflation that affects their lives. This is Umno-BN rule for you.

Wira: Tun, our worry is that Umno will not let go power if they lose Putrajaya in the next general election.

PM Najib Razak had already declared this: "Even if our bodies are crushed and our lives lost, brothers and sisters, whatever happens, we must defend Putrajaya."

So please worry more about Umno than Pakatan Rakyat about defending democracy in this country.

Moontime: I can't believe the sheer audacity of this dinosaur. His arrogance knows no bounds and he thought that he could speak on behalf of Pakatan.

The fact is, BN is already bankrupt of ideas on how to develop this nation sustainably and without any elements of partisanship. The party that he once lead is, and will always be mired, in scandals, controversies and personal vendettas to focus on the true problems plaguing this nation.

How in the world can this old man ever make the assumption that Pakatan wants to rule forever? Isn't it the exact opposite? It's BN who strived to rule till eternity. It's BN which will eventually destroy this country through corruption, massive wastage of public funds and sheer stupidity.

Actually, this old man is afraid that his legacy will be destroyed upon Pakatan assuming power. This is why he's constantly hogging the media spotlight nowadays. Judging from your actions, words and thinking style, you ain't no statesman, Mahathir!

Survivor: TDM (Tun Dr Mahathir), as long as you live, we will be in favour of Pakatan. That is the only alternative to get rid of BN.

You need to know that the 22 years of your premiership has its glorious days but more of its curses. And those curses were created out of your greed and manipulation of the masses.

However, after you are gone and if Pakatan can improve and turn the country around, why not? We will continue to let them take charge. But if they fail and abuse their power, the rakyat will know what to do.

Bert: Hasn't BN ruled for more than 55 years, encouraged corruption, racism and cronyism? And it still wants to continue to rule. How greedy can you be for the wealth of the country?

Ericlcc: In the first place, it will take at least one to two terms of office for Pakatan to right the wrong by BN, to settle mountain of debts left behind, to put the right people at the top of the civil service, to restructure important agencies like MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) and PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police), to let sound judiciary precedents to take place, to recover monies stolen by BN politicians, to help the poor own decent housing, to bring in foreign investment, etc, etc.

Yes, I do hope Pakatan will rule forever, at least then my children and their children's children will have a better hope for future.

Rayfire: No one will, or should be allowed, to rule eternally as long as the people are given the true democratic means to decide on the nation's leadership.

Absalom: And BN does not want to rule forever? I suppose if you have a devious mind and have been using it to your advantage for a very long time, you come to believe that everyone else is the same.

But I think Malaysians have become wiser. They know about the art of staying in power through all kind of dirty tactics, extreme gerrymandering, manipulation of postal votes, vote buying, the buying over of opposition candidates and every other cheap trick in the book; and who does them so well.

I think Malaysians in general have grown tired of being treated with a condescending attitude. They feel betrayed for all the trust and blind faith they have put in certain people claiming to be their champion only to find that in the end, these people have been enriching themselves and their inner circle while the masses are struggling to stay afloat.

Do you think they are worried about Pakatan clinging on to power at this stage?

Tholu: What good things has Umno brought to the country? High-rise buildings alone do not count as good things. After 55 years of ruling the country, the welfare of the people is still found wanting.

There are school children who walk miles of muddy establish to reach their schools while running the risk of being abducted and raped. There are many schools that are housed in containers. There too are schools without playgrounds.

Electricity and clean water supply are non-existent in some areas. In some regions, people still travel by boats to reach their destinations due to the absence of bridges, even wooden ones. So many of the poor rakyat still dwell in dilapidated houses in squatter areas.

We still have mothers who resort to stealing infant formulas to feed their babies. You call all these good things? By good things, you could only mean the opportunity for Umno-BN and its cronies to amass wealth at the expanse of the poor citizens.

Oscar Kilo: Dr M, you are wrong. Firstly, BN is already ruling almost forever. Secondly, we will make sure Pakatan establishes a proper democratic system when it comes to power.

We will level the playing field, so that BN can win on its merits, if it has any. - Malaysiakini