When will Mahathir give way to Anwar?

Do you believe in prophecy?

Many believed in the ‘RAHMAN’ theory that purportedly foretold the sequence of the country’s first six prime ministers.

But, that was when Umno-BN was the dominating force in Malaysian politics and before it suffered a crushing defeat in the election, losing power for the first time in over six decades.

Recently, I bumped into a retired politician friend in a manufacturers and technology exhibition. We discussed virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mix reality (MR), cross reality (XR) and stuff which are becoming the next big thing after the advent of internet.

App development companies keep thinking of new ways to apply latest technology with their apps. This is because it has virtually changed the way business is done.

Likewise the truth is, in politics you have to be smart enough to understand the ‘game’. Leaders need strategies, ‘political intelligence’ and bargaining power, said my friend.

We also talked about politics in relation to Anwar’s political future which is still shrouded in uncertainty as Mahathir has been keeping his cards close to his chest on the succession plan.

My friend did not discount that there may be “hidden hands” out to sabotage the succession plan. 

Since, now there is a new ‘MAHATHIR’ theory, my friend asked if the “A” stands for Anwar Ibrahim, Azizah (Wan) or Azmin Ali.

He is a funny guy too. What about the “H”? Does it stand for Haziq, he quipped. He was referring to Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz (above), the ex-Santubong PKR Youth Chief implicated in a lewd video which went viral.

Seriously, the question before us is, when will Mahathir appoint Anwar as the Deputy Prime Minister? When is the right time for passing the baton to Anwar?

Or will Mahathir hold on to the premiership longer than was agreed?

Is there a lack of trust on both sides, fueled by supporters around them? Why is the Prime Minister reluctant to put a timeframe to it?

Mahathir’s interview last month with CNBC suggested that he may hold on to the premiership for three years.

This puts Mahathir’s latest projected handover date as 2021 - a year later than the initially agreed 2020. 

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang (above) has said that he would retire from politics if the succession did not work out smoothly as planned.

Anwar has maintained on several occasions that Mahathir will keep his promise to hand over the reins to him, that some quarters were trying to drive a wedge between him and Mahathir.

Now, Mahathir has invited all Malay parties, including Umno, to join his party Bersatu in an effort to unite the Malays.

The invitation by Mahathir to Malay parties to join his party is a political strategy to make Bersatu a larger party in the Pakatan Harapan coalition, so that the 93-year-old prime minister can stay in power for as long as he can.

In GE14, Bersatu won only 13 parliament seats. It is the weakest party in PH coalition, and there is a sense of insecurity, even with six ministers and four deputy ministers in the cabinet.

It was Harapan's consensus in early 2018 which paved the way for Dr Mahathir to serve as the prime minister, despite intial objections from senior leaders within the coalition.

Dr Mahathir must quickly appoint Anwar as deputy prime minister or fix a definitive timeline on his elevation as prime minister, to send a powerful signal to the world that the succession is on track.

The power transition has been a contentious issue as no formal time-frame has been set by the PM. 

Anwar has seen betrayals, police lock-ups, courtrooms, prison, solitary confinement. He has seen the highest office and exile. From prisoner to prime-minister-in-waiting for 21 years (since 1998).

At the end of the day, Anwar will need at least 112 members of parliament to support him and impress His Majesty the Yang di Pertuan Agong that he is to become the 8th prime minister. - Mkini