Dr Mahathir Fires A Scud

Tun Dr Mahathir  Mohamed was at a wedding reception last nite along with the creme de la creme of KL. Earlier in the day the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was in Kedah to have final discussions with the boys in Kedah about the upcoming general elections. 

The issue of who is to lead Kedah and who should be the candidates in Kedah must have been discussed.

I was talking to an informed friend at the wedding reception last nite and heard something most interesting.  He said that Dr Mahathir had told reporters that if Najib does not deliver enough seats, then Muhyiddin Yassin must take over the reigns. Something must be irking Dr Mahathir. 

PM Najib is working very hard, going all out and really reaching out to the people. Most importantly he seems to genuinely have the peoples' interests at heart. The public has turned towards him in big waves. The Prime Minister's popularity is quite unparralleled.  No one else in Government or in the Opposition has such widespread popularity. 

The saying is if this were a presidential election, the PM would win hands down. Therefore in terms of preparing for the elections the PM is working very hard. There is no doubt about that.

The economy is growing at above 5% pa. Unemployment is below 4% (about 3.7%). There is much more activity in the economy. Most of the listed companies are reporting profits and have expansion plans in store. The construction industry is getting to hum quite well. Palm oil is still holding steady despite the small issue with China.  Things are moving. The dark clouds on the economic horizon seem to be clearing away. 

From a "going into the elections" point of view what then could be not 100% rosy and peachy? I think the only unknown factor will be the selection of candidates for the elections.  

This is also the factor where the PM has the greatest headache and where he also wields the maximum influence. We must also note here that the MIC and MCA (the two major components of the BN on the Peninsula) do not have serious winnable candidate issues. Neither does Gerakan but I dont know if they are still in the picture.

The biggest problems about the candidates relate to UMNO on the Peninsula and in Sabah. This is where if wrong choices are made, then the PM could be possibly handing over the reigns to the DPM Muhyiddin Yasin. 

The choice of candidates is very tricky because if someone is not chosen, then they may engage in sabotage and work against the party. 

My view is the threat of sabotage from within is not a major issue. The more critical problem is "sabotage" by the voters if the wrong candidate is nominated.  

Jurassic Park dinosaurs (and they were present at the dinner last nite as well) are not going to win votes from the people. And their presence in one constituency is also going to have a negative impact on all other candidates in all other constituencies.

Coming back to Kedah, there is also much talk that some people from across many state boundaries are trying to sabotage Mukriz Mahathir's chances in Kedah. They fear that if they do not sabotage Mukriz, then their own plans may have to be postponed by 10 years, 20 years or more.  We do not need these types of people either.

The PM knows all these issues. I do hope he makes the right choices.