Dr M’s latest speech may indicate a swing in GE14

For the first time, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has agreed with middle ground fellow Malaysians that no single political party should be allowed to rule the country forever.

In his latest speech delivered during the Kuala Lumpur Summit 2015, the former prime minister is absolutely right in saying that in order for democracy to thrive, there has to be a two-political party system.

I quote Dr Mahathir based on what is in public domain: “The best way is for the country to have two political parties; this would ensure that one or the other would win a majority to form the government. A weak opposition would not be effective in ensuring the government does not abuse its power. For good governance, the opposition must be very strong and able to offer the alternative. No party should rule forever.”

In short, the opposition has to be given enough support by the people to take over Putrajaya, especially when the ruling party fails to perform to the expectations of the people. Notwithstanding their weaknesses, the opposition can only be strong because of the support given by the people; therefore, I find it ironic for some people who say that the opposition is weak yet they themselves are the ones to be blamed.

What Dr Mahathir said in his speech is no different from what we already know. This has always been the model that kept a balance of power in modern Western democracies such as United Kingdom, United States of America and Australia, which have largely been successful in bringing their society and nation forward.

Still lagging behind

But we are still far from the ideals of what a thriving democracy should be until the present regime under Barisan Nasional (BN) has been voted out overwhelmingly at the federal level.

A change in the federal government, the seat of power, is inevitable even though we may not necessarily agree with the opposition on all matters at the moment. When the ruling party is brought down to its knees, it will be forced to do some soul-searching and align itself with the people again.

Unless BN is booted out Putrajaya and sufficient time is given for the other party to do the spring-cleaning, we will continue to see one scandal after another to the point that the sitting prime minister becomes totally oblivious with the people’s demands.

Therefore, what Dr Mahathir said is correct: “No party should rule forever.” Although PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad is wary about the “old fox”; but in real life, there is always room for a change in outlook in life, especially when one is about to meet his Maker. In politics, enemies can become allies, and vice versa.

Anwar Ibrahim, too, was once considered a Muslim extremist and a Malay supremacist but in his later years, he has taken on a more balanced view; in fact, while in prison, he claimed to have read the Bible.

I tend to believe that the nonagenarian has finally come to the realisation that Umno’s dominance in Malaysian politics is detrimental to the nation as well as to Umno itself; and he appears to agree with me that it is all for the sake of sanity that Umno has to lose in the coming general election at least once.

Swing of votes

Never has a sitting prime minister been alleged of committing one scandal after another as Najib Abdul Razak, whom Dr Mahathir himself has urged to step down over the way he is managing the country’s economy.

From day one, we have read about the scandal behind the purchase of two Scorpene submarines, which then led to the brutal murder of Mongolian model and interpreter Altantuya Shariibuu.

She was blown up with military grade C4 explosives which were supposed to be kept under heavy security, and the motive of her murder was never uncovered in the Malaysian courts. The late private investigator PI Bala, in his first statutory declaration, had pointed fingers at certain individuals in the corridors of power.

Then came the exposè by Sarawak Report and the Wall Street Journal that a sum of RM2.6 billon (almost everyone knows the story when RM2.6 billion is mentioned) had found its way into Najib’s private AmBank account in Kuala Lumpur, which Najib has never denied.

Then, we read about the assassination of AmBank founder Hussain Najadi which his son, Pascal believed could be linked to the murder of Kevin Morais, the senior deputy public prosecutor who was believed to be involved with the drafting of the charge sheet against Najib.

Whether this is all masterminded or not, there are just too many fingers pointing towards Najib, complicated as the situation may be, but one wonders how it could all be a matter of coincidence.

Dr Mahathir in wanting Najib to be removed now realises that, despite his 22 years as prime minister and building the fort that keeps Najib’s position secure, he is unable to shake Najib’s position unless there is a major revolt within Umno at the grassroots level.

In short, those who are still loyal to Dr Mahathir would decide for once that they will vote for Pakatan Harapan in the next general election. Will that happen?

I believe it would, if Najib remains as prime minister and Umno president.

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STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008. -Mkini