‘These ‘monsters’ you created are the very same ones you moulded and placed in power. Now they are returning your kind deeds.’
Ibrahim Musa K: Dr M can never take a rest. He has to project himself every now and then to remind people that he is still around. Who cares if he quits Umno just to slight Pak Lah for refusing to play the puppet role? One thing he often forgets - by putting himself in the limelight again and again, he would be exposing the ills of his long premiership more and more, much to the chagrin of his cronies and supporters. At his ripe old age, surely he ought to know if he is still doing the ‘right’ thing. Or does he?
Nilesh Timbadia: Big deal. Mahathir is not the first ex-president of Umno to quit Umno. As we are all aware, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn both died as non-Umno members. So, to some extent, it is quite a trend for ex-Umno presidents to quit Umno for one reason or another. I guess PM Abdullah will soon be joining him outside of Umno. It is time for Barisan Nasional and UmnoPutras to realise that Malaysians are sick and tired of race-based politics and we need to move on to people-based politics. Even learned scholars are coming out to say there is no such thing is Ketuanan Melayu and a ‘social contract’. We as Malaysians really need to move on. Mahathir quitting Umno is not news nor a big deal anymore. Others, too, have quit Umno.
Ramki: The Mahathir- Abdullah battle is over and the victor is Abdullah. Mahathir has forgotten the simple rules of leadership. Rule no1: The boss is always right. Rule no 2: If you disagree with the boss refer rule no 1. Now that he has resigned from Umno, he has upped the ante again by calling for mass resignations of Umno ministers so as to overthrow Abdullah. Tun Mahathir, are you daydreaming or inviting to be charged in court by the PKR government after the collapse of the present administration? Whatever it may be, the present ministers might either jump ship or hang on till they are pushed out by ‘people power’.
Yee: Race relations in Malaysia have spiraled down to the way it is because for 22 years the country was led by a man who believed that the whole world was against the Malay race. Somehow in his younger days, he must have been ill-treated to hold on to such a philosophy in life. He criticism includes the West whom he lumps as all white men and Jews besides the other minority races in Malaysia whom he fears will enslave the Malays at every opportunity. Even though he seldom says it outright, deep inside he believes it for whenever he becomes emotional, he reveals his racist side.
It is because of this complex that the nation has bred a generation of elite Malays who believe that the whole world is trying to colonise and take advantage of the Malay people. It is time Dr Mahathir let go and let the nation heal from two decades of living in suspicion and fear. It is utterly irresponsible for him to make those racist statement in Johor and once again, this is the kind of rhetoric Malaysians of all creed and color voted against in the last general elections.
Clippy Mee: Dear Dr. Mahathir, It is with much regret that I am forced to write this message to appeal to you personally. And I hope the majority of Malaysians will agree too. Please stop writing to the press about any thing that you think of or wantto express. Malaysia is already sinking down as a Third World country and on its way to a Fourth World country. We cannot afford for you to say anything more negative of the country which you once had exercised your autocratic authority over for 22 years.
Please do not say any more sensitive things on the Iskandar region of Johor. We are starting to attract multi-billion ringgit investments from India and the other emerging economies as well as from mature economies like the US. For the sake of our future generations, please stop all this backstabbing of our elected prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Do not be selfish. You cannot live forever. Please enjoy your twilight years. Have a good time. God bless you, doctor.
Francis T Rozario: Good news Mahathir has quit and I am now waiting to see when his son is going to resign. He should now ask Mukhriz to quit and Mukhriz owess it to his father and Umno to quit.
Desperate men will do desperate things and Mahathir is no exception. And after the findings of the Lingam Tape royal commission, he is becoming even more desperate. His thoughts are occupied with, 'What if Anwar were to take over, what will happen to me, what will happen to the legacy I have created, will Anwar make a monster of me?’ those are now his biggest preoccupations. Second are the projects of his cronies, ‘What is to become of those projects?’
I have my doubts about Mukhriz joining his father, this is the same ball game they play all over Barisan. Mukhriz will remain so one way or the other, the Mahathir clan will be in power. Mahathir is now actually working to make a comeback. More than anything else, he wants to become prime minister again - or have a puppet he could manipulate once that person becomes PM.
Najib is still his best bet, but Najib also seems to be Badawi's best bet. Which way will Najib sway only time will tell. Najib will be tempted to take hold of the moment and oust Abdullah, but Abdullah seems to be holding an ace which Najib would not want Abdullah to play. Najib will have to make a swift takeover. the question is will he and can he do it without committing political suicide?
Mahathir's patience is wearing thin, he can't afford to wait for Najib but I think he knows Najib's fears,and he'll use this to his advantage too when the time comes. Najib will be the perfect plaything he needs to run the country to his own benefit as he has always done.
But Mahathir Mohammed is a desperate man, so desperate he does not care what happens to this nation - he is only concerned about his ownself.
JKS: Let the old man be. He's done enough damage to Umno. Nothing wrong in quitting after all these mistakes. He would rather that a strongman helm Umno. But dangerous ideas he is pushing.
Dr Lim Thuang Seng: I suspect Tun Mahathir's resignation has a hidden agenda, perhaps he wants to come back into the limelight of politics and lead Umno again. Nevertheless, a significant response from Umno members following Tun Mahathir's action may encourage BN East Malaysian MPs and Umno MPs to quit and join PR resulting in a change of the federal government.
On the other hand, if sufficient number of BN MPs resign but remain as independents, this could also cause the BN government to collapse and these MPs may become the 'king-makers' and perhaps induce an ‘MP buying spree’. It is important for PM Abdullah to response strongly and firmly to show the leadership and provide in a clear terms the direction of Umno and where BN is heading.
Rakyat Malaysia: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad should have quit Umno much earlier during the 1999 general elections instead of waiting until now to exert his pressure on his successor. In 1999, Umno only won 71 parliamentary seats compared to 2008, when it garnered 79 seats. At state level, it fared even worse with 281 (in 1999) compared to 307 (in 2008).
Many people may still respect him as he was once the all-powerful man, who dictated the way things should go. Today, he appoints his successor, tomorrow he kicks him out. He was among the few who pressured the late Tunku Abdul Rahman to step down, and now, he is doing the same with the present prime minister. Today, he is in favour of one person; tomorrow, he throws a dagger at him.
We have had enough of such politics. In my opinion, anyone Dr Mahathir ‘appoints’ now may not necessarily get the support of the majority. Pak Lah’s position is not enviable; in fact, he is the stabliser of the country’s political and racial harmony, until the nation heals from the GE2008 onslaught.
What Dr M is doing will only wreck the country’s economy, something which every Malaysian had worked for, and he should not think he was at the helm of it all. Therefore, there is no legitimate reason for him to come out with comments that would destablise the country’s economy for the selfish objective of achieving his own political agenda.
KSN: In my view no one in Umno and outside should shed any tears on his resignation. On the other hand, everyone in Malaysia, especially Umno members and Malays should rejoice. Good riddance. Do you know why? I am sure all Malaysians will recall that no other leader in our history has inflicted so much of damage to our country's wellbeing as a united nation. He singlehandedly did that. If what is left in Umno and other BN parties are leaders no one can look up to with respect, he is the cause of it. The rest of the damage is in the public domain, judiciary etc etc.
Having done all that and having retired, he still wants to meddle and speak of racial politics and create divisions and animosity among our people of various races. Will he not fall afoul of any of those draconians laws we have plenty? But has Umno the guts?
Helen Moosa: Everyone is entitled to his own opinion. Most of the top brass of Umno have given their comments. My own feeling is that the Umno of today is the result of Mahathirism from TDM's time. Umno has become a party for the Malay elites ever since the introduction of the 30 division quota needed to challenge the top positions. This is Mahathirrism.
And I believe TDM has realised his error and now he wants to make 180 degree turn. He has not been able to do that from inside (very much like DSA’s failure to change Umno from inside). So he decided to work from the outside either to consolidate and revitalise Umno or to destroy it (very much like DSAI’s is doing now). He resigns not because he loves Umno less but because he loves the Malays more.
Dian Abdullah: Dr M, you have brought many developments to this country which I believe will give you a prominent place in the history of Malaysia. But I would like to point out along the way, you have forgotten the people who helped you to rule this country for 22 years. That's right - we the people, citizens, all born here. You instigated racial disharmony and widened the gap for inter-religion understanding. You created an elite of corrupted and arrogant group that brought injustice to our everyday lives which have affected us greatly.
You belittled us and the sultans in whatever way possible to satisfy your lust for power and money. You controlled us like slaves and the voiceless without any rights to our freedom of speech and actions. Your actions also provoked Bapa Merdeka and Hussein Onn to resign and die outside Umno.
Now you have to lower yourself to accept your karma. There is absolutely no way you can enter Umno again. These monsters you created are the very same ones you moulded and placed in power. Now they are returning your kind deeds. If you can remember, when Bapa Merdeka and Hussein Onn resigned, Umno did not blink much. So who do you think you are that you can bring Umno down? Umno will cease to exist only when the middle and lower-class people decide enough is enough. Najib will be the last straw because that is his destiny.
On Opposition: Mahathir a gutter politician
Anonymous: With Mahathir quitting Umno, this could probably spell the beginning of a new era for the embattled party. With political wisdom and will, Umno may perhaps be able to reinvent itself to become a party which is truly relevant to the Malays - especially those who have been marginalised and those who turned their back to Umno. On a broader scope, it may transform itself into a perty that's more acceptable to the Malaysian population at large.
Lim Guan Eng is correct in that ‘the real issue for Umno is not so much how this power struggle will play out.’ The real challenge will be between undertaking reforms to institutionalise democracy, uphold rule of law and combat corruption - or persist in the tried and failed policies of mediocrity, crony capitalism and violation of basic human rights.’
On PM shocked by Dr M's decision
Tze Yeng: I watched the interview by Pak Lah over Dr M's resignation. I must say, despite having issues with the way Malaysia is governed, I am impressed that Pak Lah didn't play the communal politics card in this time of crisis. There are many ways to lead, and sadly Dr M's street-fighting style does no longer inspire a generation that is fed-up with strong-arm tactics.
On Dr Mahathir has come full circle
Mohd Safar Hasim: In the above report, it was stated that Dr Mahathir began using the pseudonym ‘Che Det’ in the 1960s. Actually, he contributed articles to the press under the pen name ‘Che Det’ while he was studying medicine at the Raffles College in Singapore around 1947-1948. In the ’60s, he was already a practising doctor and government servant, before opening his private practice under the famed Maha clinic.
