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Malaysia and Umno still dancing to Dr M's 'tune'
Published:  Aug 8, 2013 8:23 AM
Updated: Aug 9, 2013 2:17 PM

YOURSAY ‘Mahathir is the Pied Piper of Malaysia and he will lead Umno and the nation to the grave if we do not wake up from his tune.'

'Dr M hard-headed and full of contradictions'

your say Sixth sense: Congratulations! I was wondering why former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, or Pak Lah, never defended himself. This book is going to be No 1 in terms of sales volume. Only then will former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad know how popular he is.

In fact, the cause of the downfall of Pak Lah is Mahathir and the downfall of the country is Mahathir. It is clear that Mahathir thinks he knows everything and he is the best.

Now, his son's downfall will also be because of Mahathir and we just hope the son does not follow papa's outdated 'leadership'. For his own survival the son (Mukhriz Mahathir) should turn a deaf ear, instead of listening to his dad.

JustAMalaysian: At long last, you did it, Pak Lah yang saya sangat-sangat hormati (whom I truly respect). You should have lambasted this old devil called Mahathir long ago.

In fact, you should have used the Internal Security Act (ISA) on him as he constantly and consistently undermined your leadership as prime minister of Malaysia. I am very sure most Malaysians loved you when you were PM but what they did not like was the evil ways of Umno and the other BN component parties.

If only you had exerted your power and put your foot down when things were not going right, you could have been a great PM. Nonetheless, you will always have my deepest, heartfelt respect for never interfering in current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's administration, unlike that old devil who talked too much and too loud when you helmed the country.

James1067: Mahathir is the Pied Piper of Malaysia and he will lead Umno and the nation to the grave if we do not wake up from his tune. He is playing his song of personal gain and for his family. Malaysians have to wake up from this hold, otherwise the public of all races will suffer but not him, his family and cronies.

Armchair Newspaper: I suspect the timely release of this book has everything to do with Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar's political quest, as much as drubbing of Mahathir and his equally-aspiring son in the coming Umno election. Pak Lah is an old-fashioned Malay gentleman and no one is surprised by his depiction of Mahathir.

But surely Pak Lah and the Umno he led then had neither the scrotum nor courage to put Mahathir in his place. Which is why Mahathir understands the Malays better than Pak Lah.

Lim Chong Leong: "Awakening..." How apt the title. When he had the power to do it he did not shut that bitter old man up. Now, he wakes up from his slumber and makes some murmuring noises. No point and useless.

Anonymous_3e86: Yes, don't we all know of Dr M's ways - always blaming others but not himself, even till today.

Anonymous #40538199: "Mahathir cannot deny that he contributed to the erosion of BN's support in the 2008 general election through his open and unwarranted criticism and attacks." But BN performed even worse with Mahathir back in BN and actively campaigning for BN in the 2013 general election.

Anonymous_4144: Mahathir, hard-headed? I need a book to tell me that? Come on, what else is new?

Green Mutant: No matter what you said, you failed to detain Mahathir when you had the opportunity. That would have been your greatest contribution to Malaysia, whether you did it while sleeping or otherwise.

Headhunter: Abdullah confirms what we all already know, that Mahathir is a megalomaniac who refuses to accept that there are people who are cleverer than him. Abdullah's book is going to eat the old man up, for certain.

Shah54: Pak Lah is a man of principle. He is a religious scholar, unlike Mahathir. He never interfered in other people's administration.

After he became the PM, he immediately released Anwar Ibrahim and sent his son-in-law Khairy to the Immigration to get Anwar's passport to be ready on the spot. What a nice gentleman Pak Lah is.

Chronos: Why does this issue have to come out so close to the Umno election? Is this another sandiwara (drama) to get his Khairy to be a vice-president? Hard to say, as most people do not trust Umno much anymore.

Spikerini: Mahathir has done much damage by manipulating his deputies. Now, he is manipulating the PMs. As far as Mahathir is concerned, success is because of his strategy, failure is to blame the PMs. Always a win-win for Mahathir by pulling the strings from the back.

Absalom: An incompetent leader cannot do as much damage to a country as a leader who is greedy, cunning, corrupt and self-centred. An incompetent leader may not bring much progress to the country but the other kind can do severe damage to the country, its finances, race relations and international image with the effect lasting generations. We Malaysians ought to know this, since we have had both types.

APA INI?: Finally, a confirmation from Abdullah himself. Long time coming, but welcome all the same. But there is a method in Mahathir's madness: he will continue to pull the strings to get the present leadership to do things his way, quite simply because they are all indebted to him. But what goes around comes around. Mahathir will live to see his 'madness' get at himself and his offspring.

Sirach: Whatever his failings, Pak Lah is a decent man. His silence over the past decade, in the face of vitriolic attacks by Mahathir, epitomises this. At long last he has his say. His take on the man is a view shared by most right-thinking Malaysians.

JBGUY: The present PM seems to lack the fortitude to withstand the demands of Mahathir. He prefers to stay silent on all important issues. Perhaps Mahathir has some form of leverage over him. Nevertheless, for Malaysia to come out of its doldrums, Najib has to act and in doing so oppose Mahathir. Does he have the guts to do so?

Kingfisher: Pak Lah got a huge mandate in the elections but he squandered it by his inability to correct some of the serious abuses of Mahathir. He could have become the single most influential politician of this generation if he had seriously and boldly promoted and protected multiracialism in the country.

Pak Lah is a good human being, but failed in his leadership of the nation at a crucial time. As for Mahathir, his remarks about the man are well known. Objective history, when it is opportune to write, will reveal the dismal failure of Mahathir.

Franklyspeaking: It is sad that a premier once held in such high regard is today being disparaged badly. It would serve him better to bow humbly out of politics then to try to hold the reins from behind. Mahathir is evidently no longer relevant and the forces in power have to put a strong stand against him.

Unfortunately, our country has no firm-footed leader who dares to stand against the 85-year-old man. Much of my growing years were under Mahathir's leadership and I sincerely want to keep those good memories untainted. I hope very much Mahathir steps away with what ever dignity he still has. It is indeed very sad.


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