Nothing irks me more than a former prime minister criticising a current prime minister who is a leader of the nation.

While Dr Mahathir Mohamad has the right to ostracise Najib Abdul Razak, he should not be doing it openly as both a former prime minister and a senior member of the same political party. He loses the respect of the people.

His attack on Najib reminds the nation of the reprimand that he too had received from our Bapa Malaysia as well as the late Hussein Onn. I don’t have to elaborate further.

It also reminds us what then-Australian prime minister Paul Keating had said about the “recalcitrant” Mahathir in his younger days. It brings to mind how then-American vice-president Al Gore had deliberately walked out on Mahathir during an official event in Kuala Lumpur. A slap on his face, indeed!

Mahathir is no better than Najib when he was prime minister for 22 years. Using the Internal Security Act to silence dissidents, Mahathir has turned the whole nation against him. If he had not stepped down in 2003, Barisan Nasional would have been wiped out. GE12 and GE13 would have happened much earlier in the midst of the urging for Reformasi.

Anwar Ibrahim was still in prison, but Reformasi was making big waves. Young people who grew up during that period saw the cruelty of Mahathir Mohamad, and these young people are today active leaders in the new Pakatan coalition.

After Mahathir withdrew himself from national politics, it was his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah), who brought BN to a triumphant victory in the 2004 general election. This, of course, led to what we saw as one of Mahathir’s tirade against Pak Lah. Jealousy had apparently gripped Mahathir because his successor could win the support of most Malaysians, something which he himself had never been able to achieve.

After retiring over the past 10 years, Mahathir should remind himself that he too has flopped. The amount of public funds wasted on failed ventures is humongous. If Proton still needs the government to inject huge funds, at a time when subsidies have been cut and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is being introduced, it clearly shows Proton is another of his flopped projects, besides Perwaja which is hardly heard of.

Even till today, Putrajaya boasts of large office buildings which consume too much electricity to maintain.

While Najib may be occasionally remembered these days for his kangkung and his RM1 per chicken (within the next two day after the missing MH370) remarks, Mahathir should not forget that the people, both in Malaysia and Singapore, are still unhappy with his ‘crooked’ bridge. In the past, we used to hear people joke: “I wish David Copperfield (well-known illusionist) would ask Mahathir to sit in his Proton car, and make both disappear!”

He should be sitting among other retirees

The situation has changed. After being ‘out’ of politics for the past 10 years, Mahathir should realise where he belongs. He should be sitting amongst the many other retirees and allow others to do their job. When Mahathir last attacked Pak Lah, the entire Umno crumbled under him. Now, he is testing the waters again, and I guess, he is no longer able to stir up a storm beyond the teacup.

Personally, I believe Najib would not be adversely affected by Mahathir’s sarcasm. Neither will it affect Umno’s support towards Najib. His position is currently secure for the moment. It will only be shaken when opposition leader, Anwar, is again imprisoned and along with Anwar, a number of the other Pakatan leaders. History has taught us that the more you persecute a group, the stronger it becomes. Until then, Najib is unshakeable.

Although former minister Zainuddin Maidin claims that Mahathir still has the ability to shake Najib’s position, the truth is that Mahathir no longer has his men in the important positions.

No offence, but people like Zainuddin and Kadir Jasin can try to help Mahathir make waves, but it is not going to make any difference to Najib. They have to remind themselves that they are no longer in powerful positions. These are ‘former’ ministers and key people within Umno. When you are not in power, you are no longer powerful and people will not even be bothered with you.

Unlike Pak Lah’s time, Najib now has his people filling up every key position. They are unlikely to abandon their captain. In fact, Najib, like his predecessor, would be seen as weak by other Malaysians, if he bows to Mahathir’s criticisms. When this happens, Mahathir will continue to use his influence to make and break any prime minister, except his own, that comes to power. He would become the kingmaker in this country.

Mahathir’s tirade cannot be allowed to continue. He is testing the waters at the expense of the people. This, by the way, is Mahathir as I know him in his older days. May he just retire in peace, now and forever.