The Mahathir-Anwar “Secret”

Anwar is waiting to see what move Mahathir is going to make. If Mahathir tries to get rid of him, Anwar will have to hit back with a vote of no confidence in Parliament. That would be the only way to get rid of Mahathir and take over as prime minister. And rumour has it, Anwar has the numbers needed to pass a vote of no confidence against Mahathir.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

I have said this many a time before. In Malaysia, rumours normally get proven true in the end. It may take years, but finally the rumour proves to be fact.

Take the rumour of Bank Negara’s RM31.5 billion loss incurred while gambling in the foreign exchange market back in 1990. In 1993, Lim Kit Siang raised this matter in Parliament but Anwar Ibrahim denied it and brushed it off as “malicious opposition rumours”. The following year, Kit Siang raised the matter again and this time Anwar confirmed it but said it was just a “small paper loss”.

Finally, it was proven that the loss was not small nor mere “paper loss”. It was huge and it was real.

It stayed a rumour for 25 years but finally proved to be true

When Tun Dr Mahathir’s buddy, Abdullah Ang, was jailed for CBT in 1986, it was rumoured he was not actually in jail but could walk in and out of jail quite freely. Of course, this was denied until a journalist managed to get a photograph of Abdullah Ang leaving jail to go to office every day. And when the photograph was published all hell broke loose.

“The case of Abdullah Ang, the former managing director of the Malaysian Overseas Investment Corporation, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for criminal breach of trust in December 1986, comes to mind. Instead of living the life of a regular inmate, Ang was accorded special privileges to attend to his family businesses while serving time, freely walking in and out of prison. Even his cell was similar to a luxurious hotel room, replete with a custom-made water bed. His luxurious prison life came to an end following a newspaper expose. Malaysians want to believe that public service is a noble calling, not an opportunity for those in power to enrich themselves.” (NST, 1st October 2015).

The rumour of Muhyiddin’s affair with Nika Gee was proven true in the end

The rumour that Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s wife, Endon Mahmood, was dying in a US hospital was denied. The rumour that Abdullah Badawi was having an affair with Jeanne Danker was denied. The rumour that Muhyiddin Yassin was having an affair with Nika Gee, wife of a former deputy public prosecutor, Stanley Clement Augustin, was denied. The 1998 rumour that Mahathir was going to sack Anwar as his deputy was denied. The 1998 rumour that Mahathir was going to arrest Anwar for sodomy was denied

All these rumours proved true in the end.

There are tons of rumours over the last few decades that were denied but which in the end were proven true. Anyway, all that is in the past and what matters now is the latest hot rumour. And that latest hot rumour is regarding Mahathir making his move on Anwar to block him from becoming PM8.

Mahathir is never going to allow Anwar to become PM8, says the latest hot rumour in town

Yes, it seems Mahathir has finally had enough of all this nonsense regarding he must make way for Anwar by or before May 2020. There is so much pressure being placed on Mahathir — about when he should retire and should hand over the post of prime minister to Anwar — that the old man wants to end it all as soon as possible.

Mahathir already said he is not going to remain prime minister for more than one term and that he will step down at a suitable time and hand over the post of prime minister to a suitable candidate.

But Anwar’s supporters are not happy with that. Hand over the post of prime minister at a “suitable time” to a “suitable candidate” is just too vague. Mahathir has to say “hand over the post of prime minister to Anwar Ibrahim on or before May 2020”.

Lim Kit Siang told his assassin, Ronnie Liu, to shoot Mahathir for stalling the handing-over of the PM post to Anwar

But Mahathir will not say that because he does not intend doing it. And Anwar knows this. Hence Anwar is asking his people to apply pressure on Mahathir to force him to say he will “hand over the post of prime minister to Anwar Ibrahim on or before May 2020”.

If Mahathir wants to get the pressure off, he has to get Anwar classified as an “unsuitable” candidate for prime minister. Once Anwar is no longer qualified or suitable to become prime minister, then the pressure would be off. And if Mahathir wishes to make that move it has to be very soon.

Anwar is waiting to see what move Mahathir is going to make. If Mahathir tries to get rid of him, Anwar will have to hit back with a vote of no confidence in Parliament. That would be the only way to get rid of Mahathir and take over as prime minister. And rumour has it, Anwar has the numbers needed to pass a vote of no confidence against Mahathir.

Yes, rumours only. But in Malaysia rumours are normally facts yet to be confirmed.