YOURSAY | 'What is he trying to accomplish now, which he has not done all these years?'

Difficult to set succession date if work half done – Dr M fuels burning speculation

KingKriolle: If the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council had already agreed before GE14 that there should be a power transition to PKR president and PM-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim after two years, then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad must respect the agreement.

He must not be a recalcitrant again and endanger the pact and unity in the Harapan coalition.

When the people voted for Harapan to take over Putrajaya last year, it was on the understanding that Mahathir hands over the premiership to Anwar after two years.

When Mahathir does not fulfil this understanding, it means that he is no longer listening to the voice of the people.

Anonymous 4171: Mahathir thinks he is indispensable.

He must be in denial mode if he fails to realise that he is the main cause of the problems afflicting the country during both his past and present tenures as the prime minister.

He gives lame excuses to continue occupying the prime minister’s seat. Anyone will know that no job gets completed, especially when running a household or a country.

Anonymous 2679c6e5: Even if the rakyat hands Mahathir another two lifetimes, he would still never achieve what the nation needs.

So, he needs to step down immediately before causing further damage to the Harapan government.

YTMQ: If we want the political situation in this country to improve, we must tell Mahathir: "Just stop this nonsense. We know you too well by now."

Ong Seng Swee: There is no time limit agreed prior to GE14 for Mahathir to hand over power to Anwar.

So, when the prime minister says he still has work that needs to be completed, he deserves to be left alone to complete his work.

We must not forget that Mahathir led Harapan to victory in GE14. It is shameful that there are people within Harapan who now want to get rid of him.

Constitution Is Supreme: With due respect, even if Mahathir had another 20 years to serve as the country’s prime minister, he will not be able to complete what he set out to do.

So, he needs to step down graciously, within two years as promised, and retain his dignity and not be remembered as one who is ‘buruk siku’ (to reclaim something that was given to someone else).

Jarchin: Let's not be blinded by the pre-election agreement between Mahathir and Anwar. It is more important to view what is good for Malaysia.

If Mahathir steps down as PM, who's the alternative? Many people are not comfortable with Anwar becoming the prime minister.

And if Anwar turns out to be worse than Mahathir, as many expect him to be, who will be his replacement?

Anonymous: I didn't expect Mahathir’s second tenure to turn out this way, with Malaysia facing even more racial and extremism problems.

Since he enjoys travelling more than running the country, perhaps it is time for Mahathir to take his well-earned break. I am all for Anwar to step in and take over as prime minister.

CHKS: Mahathir’s claim that he wants to get work done before giving up the premiership is a fallacy because "work" can never be completely done.

After completing one task, another task crops up. So how much does he consider as truly done?

Furthermore, Mahathir did not specifically say what "work" he wanted to complete. What is he trying to accomplish now, which he has not done in all these years? His excuse is too vague.

Lucas: Even if Mahathir’s work is half done, it is supposed to be continued by his successor.

What kind of a weak excuse is this to claim that he will only leave after completing his work.

Steven Ong: Which foreign investor would want to invest in a country whose prime minister does not keep his word?

Mahathir thinks only he can solve the country’s woes, and that the next prime minister may not be able to perform efficiently.

If Malaysia can only depend on one man to solve its many problems, then the country is already doomed.

Hmmmmmmmm: Indeed, no worker is indispensable in this world. Otherwise, there would not be any retirees. Everyone would want to continue working because they think they are the best person for that particular job.

The world will still go on even after a person, no matter how talented, is gone.

Anonymous 5609e49b: Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Musa Hitam, Anwar and Najib Abdul Razak all displeased and were swept away by Mahathir.

Of course, the last person on the list deserved it.

But Anwar managed to survive and return. However, he is still being obstructed despite all that he has done for the country's reformation in view of the rot which began during Mahathir’s first tenure as prime minister.

Frank Auger: Many politicians use the people just for the votes and to get into power.

It is time Malaysians change that around. The rakyat needed Mahathir during the previous general election to knock out the BN government. Now, we need him to leave.

Mahathir’s time is up. The 94-year-old owed it to the rakyat to take down BN. Now that his main task has ended, he should step down as prime minister as previously agreed.

Anonymous 1371547149: Mahathir is looking more unlikely to step away quietly from the prime minister’s position.

It is looking like push has to come to shove for Anwar to become prime minister by May 2020.

Anonymous 1543475877: Mahathir has to choose between stepping down voluntarily or be pushed out.

I hope it will not come to the latter. For the sake of the country, I hope he retires by May 2020. The earlier the better.

Undecided: In the past when it suits him, Mahathir has said that Malays are not trustworthy.

He should look in the mirror now.

MS: The message that Mahathir is really telling Malaysians is that he is indispensable, without him the country will be destroyed, everyone else in the Harapan is not competent enough to lead the country and Malaysians must be obediently quiet and be grateful to him for being the prime minister.

Anonymous 1548748441912: I used to scold people who ridiculed Mahathir by calling him an old fox.

I hereby sincerely apologise to these people. I admit that I was naive. Please forgive me.

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