Mahathir’s meddling is helping Pakatan

Dr Mahathir Mohamad is touching 90s, and has no clue as to how much the majority of voters dislike him right now.

COMMENT

If you cut it to the core, Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a mafia don who believes in quick fixes.

He literally built his own power and legacy from a humble beginning as the son of a headmaster into the one of the most powerful warlords in the country.

From that we know, Mahathir is not one who lacks in confidence. But he lacks in being able to think three to four levels deep.

He convinces himself that what happens next after his intervention in a situation was planned right from the beginning, when in fact it is an emerging threat that could blow his plans apart.

Mahathir has one additional weakness which he cannot fix.

He is touching 90, he was born in a different era and he really does not understand how much the majority of voters dislike him right now.

Mahathir failed in his personal quest to become a delegate from his own Kubang Pasu division and then his son failed to win the Ketua Pemuda post.

Mahathir does not know of the whisperings of discontent in the government circles and how even some of the plans being hatched are DOA (Dead On Arrival) because we have already intercepted them.

Why then is Mahathir being seen as relevant right now?

Why is he watching over Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak like Roman Abramovich watching over one of the Chelsea managers?

Because TSMY (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – Deputy Prime Minister) is using Mahathir to do his dirty work in return for accommodating Mukhriz Mahathir.

Mahathir is now planning the post-Najib coup d’état. This heaps, of course, more pressure on Najib than he really needs right now, but such is his role as the ultimate hatchet man – the political grim-reaper, so to speak.

But that is on the assumption that Umno actually manages to sneak in a victory.

Unappreciative local warlords

This is becoming an increasingly remote possibility and right now what Mahathir is doing is counter-productive.

In his obsession with quick fixes, Mahathir is now delivering the coup de grâce to Umno’s chances in the 13th general election.

But right now, Mahathir has conspired to make Najib’s position untenable. Najib is being considered a lame duck prime minister because he lacks the power and the prestige.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think people dislike him; in fact, many may like him on Facebook, but when you have to convince a disappointed local warlord to rally his boys to fight Pakatan, you need to be able to offer something in return.

Here lies the problem. Mahathir has convinced all the operators that Najib’s days are numbered, so how can his promises be taken seriously?

The local warlords will be unappreciative and may take the money but then go on holiday.

Contrast this mess with the Pakatan war machine. This war machine is now beginning to flex its muscles; no longer is Pakatan riding on the wave of hope, it’s now riding on the wave of anticipation.

Pakatan is beginning to develop the aura of invincibility that will make it the default choice.

That is when the regime change takes place, when people are programmed to think that voting Pakatan is not an exercise in making a protest vote but really the default choice to make.

Pakatan is close to making that mind conditioning work in the minds of the people, partially helped by Mahathir’s meddling though.

This is an excerpt of an article which first appeared on Pirates of Putrajaya blogspot.