The opposition can win the the next general election if Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak traps himself in a corner, believes former editor-in-chief of the New Straits Times, Abdullah Ahmad.

 

“The opposition can - I know better than most - win, if it can rally behind a leader who has the clarity, vision, determination and good personal qualities to lead the charge.”

 

On Najib, he said: “Despite himself, many believe that Najib should win - if he doesn’t paint himself into a corner and, worse, paint the country into a corner. But, most importantly, there should be no further expose of 1MDB-like scandals.

 

“I want Umno to win. But the leadership must have the political will to state loud and clear, its real goals. The 13th general election has been a searing experience for Najib.

"And he should realise now that not stating the real aim can cause as much difficulty as stating it. That is the Malaysian, and his, dilemma.”

 

Abdullah's ( photo ) comments were made in the epilogue of the book, 'Dr Mahathir’s Selected Letters to World Leaders' to be launched tomorrow at the Perdana Leadership Foundation.

 

The government under Najib, Abdullah added: “Has set out to transform the nation, to change the existing reality into a united nation. While the aim is desirable, it remains an elusive goal.”

 

On the state of politics in the nation, Abdullah said: “Old politics has returned to haunt Malaysia’s unintegrated peoples; that dissension between liberals and conservatives, over the role of Islam and Shariah jurisprudence, may produce, in 2018 or earlier, an electoral turbulence, which will be much worse during campaigning because everything has been demarcated along religious and racial lines.

 

“The division and sensitive issues have to be unequivocally stated without fear or favour. This is more crucial than the price of petrol and other economic matters; it will definitely incite political and social protests and unrest unless managed competently. The people may unleash their frustration and disillusionment.”

 

On Mahathir, Abdullah said that despite his remarkable achievements, he also made mistakes. “He failed to protect and strengthen vital institutions of the state, and left behind a demoralised, squabbling Umno and weak government. To his credit though, he helped hasten the departure of the hapless fifth prime minister.”

 

As the editor of volume two, Abdullah also provides an introduction and selected commentaries on bilateral issues, globalisation and on war and conflict.

 

In the war and conflict commentary in the book, Abdullah said: “The trouble is western powers do not walk the talk. They will prop up a failed economic model, a repressive absolute ruler or monarch, despite the claim that they are ‘exporting democracy’. They will fight back to change the status quo around the globe. Whether they will succeed is another story.”

 

Mahathir’s book reveals diplomatic letters written from 1990 to 2003. During this time he wrote and received many letters from many world leaders.

 

The letters presented in this volume are by Mahathir, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Lee Kuan Yew, Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein.

The contents of the letters argue contrasting positions on bilateral and joint relations, globalisation, as well as on wars and conflicts.

Mahathir writes in his own direct and distinctive voice and style, while the pieces by the correspondents ranged from transparent, solid, informative, and sometimes robust.