Since Dr Mahathir Mohamad decided to embark on his latest hunting expedition, journalists have been scouring his blog regularly in search of shots fired at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

According to SimilarWeb , the traffic to his blog chedet.cc averaged between 50,000 to 70,000 visitors a month.

However, after his acerbic salvo on Najib in a March 13 posting titled "1MDB", traffic almost tripled.

An estimated 170,000 people visited the blog in March compared to 65,000 the month before.

The data for April has yet to be released but the spike is expected to continue, especially with Mahathir declaring open war by raising the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder and warning that Najib would cause the defeat for Umno and BN in the next polls.

Already, readers are facing difficulty in accessing the blog due to the overwhelming traffic.

Waiting for Phase II

Malaysians, including those in Umno and the opposition, are waiting with bated breath for the next installment of this saga since Mahathir is not someone to retrace his steps when an offensive is launched.

His attacks on Najib have become the subject of conversations all over the nation, from tea stalls to plush restaurants.

The burning questions are, will the prime minister survive this attempt to topple him or will Mahathir, for the first time, be defeated in a move to oust a politician?

Even celebrities have come out to express support for the octogenarian after he lamented that he is alone in this quest, which he claims to have executed for the people.

However, an Umno website, which has been highly critical of the former premier, claimed that Mahathir is playing the sympathy card by portraying himself as a lonesome old man, who is battling the all-powerful prime minister and his minions.   

Chedetphobia

During a pre-recorded interview with the Umno-linked TV3 last week, Najib defiantly declared that he is not answerable to an individual but the rakyat.

However, it is this individual who seems to have given the prime minister cold sweats and sleepless nights as a result of chedetophobia .

It is this individual who has been dominating the news as well as forcing Umno and BN leaders both past and present to come out in droves to express support for Najib.

Some have been blunt and others careful with their choice of words.

There are also many waving the white flag, calling for a truce. For example, former minister Rais Yatim, who asked Mahathir to put down his rifle and let voters judge Najib in the next general election.

It is this individual who has forced Najib to hold closed-door meetings with Umno wings to explain the situation and even rally pensioners for support.

Stay tuned for the next episode.

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