YOURSAY | ‘Are there really no other eligible leaders who can lead the country?’
Dr M-Wan Azizah combo hinges on Anwar's consent
Susah Kes: No please. Like I said elsewhere, the jury is still out on former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad's cooperation with Pakatan Harapan. But what we do know is that he has a track record of sacking his deputies.
If Mahathir is sincere enough in wanting to be rid of the Umno-BN coterie, then he should just limit his engagement as an electoral worker, whatever position they accord him. But as prime minister? No.
He has had his time, let others step in. Or do the folks driving this narrative mean to tell us that Pakatan Harapan does not have any other candidates to be interim PM?
It's an interim position, you can put Mahathir's grandmother as a candidate, if you want to. But if you let Mahathir assume the highest office in the land, then all I can say is: buyer beware.
Rico Suave: This is the final straw. As someone who lived through the against-all-odds optimism of the past two historic elections, it breaks my heart to see the opposition just throw away all the goodwill they generated from the rakyat for expediency.
It is not just that they had to get Mahathir on board, it's that he was needed in the first place because the rest of them weren't doing their jobs properly.
And now the cherry on this horrible cake of their failures is them having to let him become prime minister.
This is beyond sad. I've been waiting my whole life to see Umno fall, due in large part to hatred of “the great dictator.” And now he's heading the opposition.
I know it's moot because the opposition won't win anyway, but symbolically, they are reduced to zero now. Harapan, you just lost yourself a voter.
Anti-Conmen: Are there really no other eligible leaders who can lead the country based on equality, freedom, justice and rule of law? What a sad state this country is in.
Rick Teo: The thought of Mahathir coming back as PM will make a lot of BN politicians and civil servants run scared – especially the attorney-general and chief justice. Those in the Registrar of Societies (ROS) may have to start looking for new jobs as well.
Let him come back as PM to right his previous wrongs. Provided he can at least close down some of the religious authority entities, and free the people from the bondage of religion, especially in government departments and schools.
Sleepy: Yes, Mahathir is the one who put us in this sad state. Even he does not deny this. But instead of sulking over the past, we should be trying to save the future.
Annonymous: No, no, no, no, no. Getting Mahathir to be PM is very wrong, stupid and short-sighted.
Mahathir must step aside and be realistic if he is sincere, not power-crazy. If he wants to join forces with the opposition to throw out a corrupt regime, then unite the people and move the country forward.
Why not Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as prime minister, and Mahathir her deputy, instead of the other way around?
Or a better option still: get a leader from Sabah and Sarawak as DPM, at least as motivation to the people there? This would certainly force a swing in the two powerful East Malaysian states to Harapan.
The country needs a paradigm shift to boldly move forward if Harapan is serious in defeating the corrupt regime and saving the country, but not using one another to pursue their hidden agendas and vested interests.
There is no other option to save the country; we must get rid of the stubborn, extremist and corrupt old guard who are the root cause of all the country's problems.
Just a Malaysian: In the present circumstances, this is the best Harapan can do. Mahathir is popular among the rural Malays, while Anwar and Wan Azizah are more popular urban voters.
Anonymous_1371477558: I never liked Dr M in the past. But tell me, if not him who else can be PM from the opposition?
He may be Malay-first, but he did project Malaysia's image forward. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, in contrast, cares for himself only. There's nothing he has done worth mentioning, except the infamous 1MDB.
Mano: This is a very sound and rational decision.
This will be acceptable for people with discernment, and who understand that the long-term objective is to avoid dwelling on the past, and not making any headway.
Realising this is important to put the country back on the right track.
Dr Ram: Why wouldn’t anyone vote for such a combo? You voted him and his BN in for over 20 years.
Why not now when he pledged to correct the wrongs he did previously, and when he is willing to fight the corrupt regime at the grand old age of 93?
If you cannot see the wisdom of what Mahathir pledged, I think you are being too emotional. Better than succumbing to Najib’s regime.
Besides, if he shows no sign of hope upon winning, five years is not too long to throw him out.
Anonymous_1372398383: Not to be mean, but let’s say he kicks the bucket six months after GE14.
There will be a mega political crisis, which will spell the end of this fragile coalition glued together by hatred, hypocrisy and self-denial.
Anonymous 2463311489996035: I will not vote at all if Mahathir is officially put forward as candidate for PM.
Are these leaders actually serious?
Fair Play: Let’s think with our head, not with our heart. Can Harapan win GE14 without Dr M and with Anwar on the sideline?
The key word here is interim PM. Like a person having a terminal illness will try any cure, real or imagined, because he or she has nothing to lose, Harapan just has just one shot at Putrajaya in GE14.
Dr M is the best bet, regardless of the past - this one shot might never come again.
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