Dr M's choice, his legacy and Harapan's future

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's choice of three parliamentary seats to contest in the 14th general election – Kubang Pasu, Langkawi and Putrajaya – were in part due to the legacy he left behind in those constituencies.

But these constituencies will also determine how the closing chapters of his legacy will be written.

"What Bersatu has at stake now is not only winning GE14, but which seat Bersatu chooses for Mahathir will determine his legacy forever.

"If he is defeated, it would be a terrible blow, not only to Bersatu's influence, but also to Mahathir as an individual and statesperson.

"Imagine, with a record like his, if he loses in his last general election, it would weigh on his legacy. So the stakes are very high," said Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan.

Mahathir – who was briefly sacked from Umno for rebelling against then-prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in 1969 – is known as a political survivor, having risen to the position of prime minister after his comeback and remaining there until 2003.

During his 22 years as prime minister, Mahathir transformed the largely Malay 'kampung' of Langkawi into a tourism hub, and carved an administrative centre out of oil palm plantations to create Putrajaya.

Kubang Pasu was the parliamentary constituency he held from his appointment into the cabinet until his retirement as prime minister.

Mahathir, who will be 93 this year, is now banking on the memory of his legacy to further cement his reputation as a political survivor, and dismantle Umno, the party he had spent most of his life building.

BN captured 69 percent of the votes in Putrajaya, 68.8 percent in Langkawi and 59.3 percent of the votes in Kubang Pasu in the last general election.

Recently, Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali offered Mahathir his parliamentary seat of Gombak, in which Azmin won 52 percent of the votes.

But the seat is now seen as unsafe due to the Election Commission’s recent redelineation exercise, and the seat has been a base for PAS, which will contest against Pakatan Harapan there in the next general election.

'Mahathir is strongest in Kedah'

"Logically, Mahathir is strongest in Kedah, be it in Kubang Pasu or Langkawi, but not in Selangor," Wan Saiful said.

However, he added, even if Mahathir succeeds in securing a parliamentary constituency – a prerequisite to making a comeback as prime minister – his fate would also be dependent on Harapan's success as a whole.

"It will be an interesting scenario if Mahathir wins in a parliamentary seat but Harapan fails to capture Putrajaya.

"It is clear he will become prime minister if Harapan wins, but if Harapan fails to form the government... will Mahathir take up the role as an opposition MP?" Wan Saiful said.

Universiti Utara Malaysia associate professor Ahmad Martadha Mohamed concurred that a lot rests on Mahathir's success.

Ahmad Martadha said it was not only that Mahathir's legacy that was at stake but the future of Harapan.

"If he fails, there will be questions over why Harapan chose to nominate Mahathir as the prime ministerial candidate and allowed him to lead the coalition, as many today still do not agree with the decision," he said.

Come GE14, the fate of Mahathir and his former opponents will be intertwined, with both his legacy and the future of opposition politics at stake.- Mkini