Dr Mahathir Mohamad is displeased that the Najib administration has not learnt its lesson and remains bent on wanting to please the opposition, rather than government supporters.

After repealing the Internal Security Act, Mahathir said, there was now a move by the government to accede to the opposition’s demand for meritocracy.

"Three laws are to replace the Sedition Act which will have the effect of ending the affirmation action of the New Economic Policy," he added in his blog.

Mahathir warned that it is a mistake for the government to accede to or meet the demands of the opposition.

"Acceding to their demands will not result in them supporting the government. They will make sure their supporters too will not switch their support to the government.

"They will either belittle the government’s decision or they will come up with new issues," he added.

Mahathir said this was what happened to the government's decision to drop the ISA.

"The opposition never said thank you or praised the liberalism of the government. Certainly they would not support the government because it had met their demand.

"The attack against the government continued. And the result was the performance of the government party, becoming worse than when the ISA was in the statute books," he added.

Government supporters see red

On the government side, Mahathir said compliance with the opposition’s stand angers its supporters, who would then regard the government as weak and withdraw their support.

In the case of the ISA, he said, law enforcers too felt betrayed when it was repealed.

"The crime rate grows and the security people get the blame. The people will also feel betrayed and angry with the rise of the crime rate," he added.

Mahathir said the government has gained nothing and has lost a lot due from trying to please the opposition.

"Has the government learnt the lesson?" he asked.

On the same note, Mahathir said there should be an opposition whose job is to oppose the government in a democracy.

In the more mature democracies, he added, the opposition may at times support the government or take a bipartisan stand.

"But mostly, and certainly in new democracies, the opposition simply opposes. The objective of the opposition is to bring down the government and to take over.

"They are not really interested in issues or the wrong things the government is doing. These issues are good only for blackening the governing party so as to bring it down," Mahathir said.