"It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions..."
Niccolo Machiavelli, 'The Prince'
COMMENT He aspired to be different. He wanted to steer the nation along the path of moderation and inclusiveness. He hoped to transform what his predecessor had sought to reform.
This was the blueprint for his leadership and he believed that he could reverse the fortunes of the ruling coalition with the best brains from prestigious institutions of learning orchestrating his words and deeds.
But alas this was not possible and now Najib Abdul Razak is sitting on the horns of dilemma.
The man who is demanding for Najib's head is none other than the patriarch of Umno Baru whom many regard as a father figure while the zealots consider him as the messiah .
Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that Najib would cause the ruling coalition, which has reigned since the birth of this nation, to be trounced in the next general election.
He wants to save Umno Baru from defeat and destruction. He is bitter that both his successor and the successor of his successor have failed him. He is now uncertain of who can live up to his expectations.
Some believe that apart from selective amnesia, the doctor also suffers from a serious case of incurable megalomania and there is no candidate who can match his standards.
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was weak and seduced by the illusions of grandeur whispered into his ear by those close to him, whereas Najib is dogged by a slew of allegations and his family is hanging like a millstone around his neck.
Mahathir often mentions how Abdullah was responsible for BN's 2008 electoral debacle but ignores the results of the polls prior to that.
A year after Mahathir bade farewell to the top post, Abdullah secured the biggest ever mandate for BN as the nation rejoiced over the departure of a man who had governed with an iron fist for more than two decades.
The lion's share of the blame for BN's predicament goes to Mahathir and those who came after him are struggling to repair the extensive damage done.
His successors are forced to reap the poisonous fruits of negative perception born from the seeds that Mahathir had sowed, both when he was in power and even after stepping down.
Authoritarian regime
It was the authoritarian regime of Mahathir that created a nation with first world infrastructure but third world mindset as exhibited in last Sunday’s protest against a church for placing a cross at a vantage point that was considered disturbing and hurtful to Muslims.
It was during his tenure that the dimmest of bulbs rose to become the brightest of stars in the political constellation by merely pledging their unwavering allegiance to the supreme leader.
The culture of corruption and cronyism as well as the rigor mortis in the civil service peaked in his era, while the police and other enforcement agencies as well as the judiciary and media were castrated and kept on a short leash.
The man who was responsible for the incarceration of more than 100 opposition politicians, dissidents and activists now laments that Malaysia is turning into a police state.
It is also argued that Islamism thrived under his leadership and thus polarising the citizens of various races and faiths.
Mahathir himself is no stranger to stoking the flames of racial and religious sentiments.
Following his retirement, he made numerous racist remarks and lent his support to Malay right-wing movements that seem hell-bent on dividing the nation.
During the probe on the granting of citizenship to foreigners in Sabah, Mahathir attacked the country's first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.
"One should also look back and remember that Tunku Abdul Rahman was worse than me, he gave one million citizenships to people who are not qualified and not even tested?" he had said in reference to the Chinese and Indian immigrants.
And this remark came from a man whose paternal roots can be traced back to India.
Mahathir had also defended Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali when the latter had called for copies of the Malay-language Bible with the word "Allah" to be torched.
Despite the overwhelming outrage, the former premier felt that the statement was not seditious or provocative.
He then offered a bizarre justification, saying it was a Muslim practice to burn unusable copies of the Quran.
"We always burn the Quran, when it is old and no longer in use. What is sure is that we cannot throw it around. So, burning the Quran with good intentions is not a problem."
He had argued that Ibrahim was showing respect for copies of the Bible that he felt should be discarded because it contained the word "Allah".
Tunku's take on Mahathir
Perhaps the best description of Mahathir and his 22-year administration can be found in the 'Tunku Tapes' where the late founding father states:
"There is no law, no justice, no freedom of speech. Anybody who speaks out goes to prison. So he has got all the members of the opposition in prison... This is what worries me and all the responsible citizens of this country, no matter what race they come from. We are all worried. The country is drained, dry, no more capital. People are saying in this country today, there are three big robbers - Umno robs the bank, MCA robs the co-operative societies and MIC robs the highway...
"...There is no more democracy. You say anything, you are put in (jail) and you are not allowed to reply nor allowed to hold rallies to defend yourself. Only Mahathir can go from place to place to attack us...
"The television every night broadcasts what the government is doing, what this minister is doing, what that minister is doing and so on but never about how the people are suffering, never about what the people want, only what the government is doing. We see so much of this that I don't turn on the news anymore. There is nothing to listen to, only this self-opinionated government doing work for the people. You cannot talk, you cannot hold seminars and you cannot write...
"...They don't know any rule of law, they don't care about the law, they suspend and amend the law to suit their plans. So they rule by the law which they know to keep themselves in power. If you disagree with them or criticise them, you go to prison..."
"... Those who love sport can understand. They compete with a sporting instinct but this man has never liked that, he is a real spoilsport.
"The time will come. We will have to find a way to put this man in his place. We cannot at the moment because he controls the law - what do you do with a man like that? But the time will come..."
Mahathir can look far and wide for a knight in shining armour. Be it north or south or east or west. The hard truth is that nobody can save Umno Baru because it is paying for the sins of the father. The time has come.
RK ANAND is a member of the Malaysiakini team.
