YOURSAY  | ‘Ti Lian Ker, the reason Mahathir hasn’t retired is because you BN leaders can't stop corruption.’

Pen honest, ego-free memoir instead of meddling, MCA tells Dr M

Versey: MCA leader Ti Lian Ker said, "There have been many instances of abuse of power and emergence of corruption as our culture due to the emergence of immense power as a result of the removal of our check or balance such as the independence of the judiciary during the era of Mahathirism.”

When Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the premier, didn’t MCA remain quiet, just like its response to the 1MDB scandal, the Felda scandal, the “Cowgate” (National Feedlot Corporation) scandal and many others?

Then why should voters still support MCA, unless they have they lost their senses and think that corruption is good for the nation and the taxpayers?

By the way, if MCA was bold enough to stand by the people to oppose the many scandals, abuse of power and emergence of corruption, maybe there wouldn’t be any need for Mahathir to campaign against you lot, and he would have retired to write his memoir.

Poor Ti, now he has to defend the indefensible with nonsensical suggestions to someone who once was his “shigong” (grand master).

Victor Johan: Ti, you are the appointed person to helm the publicity of your party, one of the components of the Umno-led BN coalition. Yet you mentioned that "...the nation had been powerless to stop Mahathir, who had no qualms in destroying anything or anyone in the way of his ambitions".

In case you forgot, Mahathir, the former president of Umno and chief of BN, was aided and supported by your political party too when he was prime minister. With the logic you display now, your party is certainly ensuring that the “nation will become powerless”.

Well anyway, now Mahathir is ensuring the nation will become powerful to stop and oust Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his corrupt government. We the citizens like it, so we will independently support the current opposition leader Mahathir to ensure Pakatan Harapan wins the 14th general election.

LB: There are many books written on Mahathir and many lessons can be learned. But we don’t see MCA caring about the country or learning to be useful.

You have, for example, MCA President and Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai who has no power to help those in need of land transport because ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department has taken away the ministry's responsibilities.

And yet MCA does not have any problem being a eunuch-like figure with a big minister title. When will MCA learn that titles do not matter? It’s about delivering services to the people.

Goldee: Ti, the reason Mahathir hasn’t retired is because you BN leaders can't do a thing to stop corruption, and instead are just sitting down receiving a salary for doing nothing. A typical example is the 1MDB scandal about which not one of you dares to speak up about in Parliament.

Is it wrong for Mahathir to raise the issue of the huge losses we have suffered? If leaders like you have acted on behalf of the interests of the people, then we as citizens as well as Mahathir would not have to interfere with Najib's government. But you and the rest of the ruling regime have only let us down badly and are a disgrace to our country.

Clever Voter: Focusing on the ugly side of the Mahathir administration isn’t helpful, as there are enough cases where Mahathir has helped out MCA and its leaders especially during the late 90s Asian currency crisis.

Moreover, surely anyone of his present age would not be so silly to brave the hours to campaign for change. Mahathir should be given the benefit of the doubt to convince the voters of the need to reverse the country's decline.

Why I worry for Mahathir

HangTuahPJ: Why should Dr M even bother about the country? He has his millions and his children are well off. He could easily sit back and enjoy the sunset.

But no, he is willing to do battle at this fragile age. Why should he, if not for wanting to correct what has gone wrong, terribly wrong?

Maybe he is remorseful but too proud to show it. Let us give him that chance to try to correct what is wrong and make amends with himself at the same time.

Cogito Ergo Sum: If a 92-year-old retired politician decides to return to politics, the situation as he sees it, must be dire. Risking health and physical abuse, Mahathir sees it his duty to correct all that is wrong with this nation.

Some of these wrongs, he was responsible for. But if he was not bothered, who do we have who has his political cunning and strategy to helm the opposition? For better or worse, Mahathir is the man of the hour.

James AP: He is no saint but he is the devil we know. I hope and pray his health holds up. At 59, now l am thinking of taking it easy but he inspires me as at 92, he chose to embark on a very tough uphill battle that should be left to a younger generation.

My utmost thanks and respect for his sacrifice though he may have caused us to be in this position when he changed the laws to centralise power under the prime minister. But I pray he succeeds in order to have a new government and rectify the laws as he promised in his new position.

Fairnsquare: Mahathir has achieved more for the country than any other prime minister, that is a given. Whatever he did was in his mind for the best for the nation and politics during his tenure.

The abuse and misuse of the platform he laid are now causing serious damage to the nation. This is what he wants to correct. At his age to be willing to make a come back has to be appreciated by all, even Umno.

He was forced to join the opposition since he lost the “loyalty” of Umno leaders, most of whom he nurtured. The appalling disrespect shown to him alone justifies his wanting to lead the opposition to correct the wrongs being done in the country.

Umno is no longer what it once was. While protecting the rights of Malays is respected by all races, the racial discrimination, bigotry, religious and racial supremacy that have crept in due to personal gains are damaging and seriously impacting our much-loved country.

Mahathir has the will to correct this. For this he has our utmost respect.

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