VOXPOP ‘Yes Mahathir, Umno was strong then, but it was largely abused to profit the privileged and favoured few.'

Dr M confident BN will win, but Umno needs new blood

vox populi small thumbnail Kairos: During Dr Mahathir Mohamad's time, he ruled with an iron hand. Mahathir is definitely a stronger leader than Najib. But the truth of the matter is that the party was equally corrupt.

Cronies close to the PM then had a field day reaping the shady benefits of their power as they rode roughshod over Chinese businesses and exploited their Malay rights and privileges to enrich themselves. The poor across the board, Malays included, were sidestepped.

Many Chinese businessmen are still cursing and swearing at Mahathir and his ruthless cronies until today. You can ask them.

Yes, Umno was strong then but it was largely abused to profit the privileged and favoured few. What is there to compare, Mahathir? Essentially, what you are saying now is like the pot calling the kettle black.

SimpleSimon: Umno was well accepted till Hussein Onn's time. Mahathir came along and destroyed the original Umno and replacing it with Umno Baru.

Tunku Abdul Rahman and Hussein never joined his Umno Baru for they were pretty sure it was a racist party created by Mahathir.

Time has proven it to be so. Our education system, rule of law, judiciary, etc, have gone down the drain, so to speak.

With the advent of the Internet, more and more young and intelligent Malays are better judges of the nation's affairs. Umno Baru can no longer control and restrict the mindset of the Malay community.

Karma: Dr M is right that Umno used to be strong. It is an established fact that people joined Umno to become rich, and not to fight for the poor.

People joined MCA because they can get datukship very easily. There is no need for them to fight injustice because that is the job of DAP and PAS.

Now, young people can make a decent income through working with big companies or do business via the Internet. There is no need to resort to joining corrupt political parties and commit sins.

FellowMalaysian: Dr M has acknowledged with brutal openness the weakness and abuse of power within the ranks of Umno echelons.

The party is filled with no-brainer yes-men who cling on to power and gloat on excesses. They are able to indulge openly in such abuses because Najib depends on them and has little willpower to change the status quo and rock the boat.

The culmination of such practices will lead to self-destruction and the time-bomb for it to implode has been set.

Democrat: I think the country does not need his advice anymore. It's loaded with agenda to bring in his son to power.

Bumiasli: It is quite apparent that Dr M is contradicting himself each time he opens his mouth. First he says PM Najib Razak will win, then he says BN must give way to new blood.

If that's the case, then Najib and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin must resign. But then who will replace them?

My opinion is that no matter who is replaced, BN's time is up. I guess the rakyat have had enough already and want a change.

So stop dreaming Dr M, the nightmare is going to be over soon for Malaysians.

Khairy to take on Ambiga and Rafizi in two debates

Onyourtoes: I must say it is not a good strategy for Bersih 2.0 chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan and PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli to debate with Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

What credentials has he got? What policies can he decide for Umno-BN? The debate with him will only give him credibility that he does not deserve.

What can we expect from someone who was only good in making false accusations against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's teenage son?

Rafizi should debate the PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund) with the education or finance minister. Ambiga should debate with the PM or EC (Election Commission) chairperson.

Otherwise, the debates would be just a sideshow, generating entertainment and perhaps help some media to make money.

The debate should not indulge in endless and meaningless rhetorical statements. Debaters must be able to explain and substantiate what they are saying or proposing.

Gandhi: Khairy has bought tickets to disaster as he will be brought down by these two untainted leaders.

Khairy has all the charisma of a loser. Because of him, Umno lost a few seats and people disliked him for all the antics he played out during his father-in-law's time.

Now this show of his oratory skills to impress the rakyat is going to backfire. I wonder whether he is well-schooled in these topics.

Bernard Phillips: I cannot understand why Ambiga and Rafizi would want to waste their time with Khairy. Umno Youth used to have a say with the ruling party, but last time I checked, not any more.

And Khairy at best has only echoed the views of his 'masters'. Umno Youth is now just the bully boys of Umno - uncouth, ill-disciplined and ill-mannered. Just look at the recent behaviour of the Umno Youth leader in Penang. Did Khairy come out to check his shameful performance? No.

Do you expect him to agree with any positive points put forward by Ambiga and Rafizi? Hardly likely. So, what's to be gained here?

Well, Khairy is the beneficiary if he can score some points, even negative points. Show the big people at Umno that he can be an asset to them and so reap some personal rewards.

As far as I am concerned, Ambiga and Rafizi have already won over public opinion on the issues to be canvassed. All is needed now is clean and fair elections. Now, if Khairy can assure us of that, he will get my vote for sure.

 

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