YOURSAY | ‘Anwar's story is like a Malay tragedy. Mahathir does not like him.’

Amid PM candidate dispute, Anwar's 'bamboo pruning' sets tongues wagging

No Body Child: I have been a planter for more than 50 years. There is a time for everything: a time to sow, a time to fertilise and a time to harvest.

Since Dr Mahathir Mohamad's dream is to be a PM until he dies whilst Anwar Ibrahim, your dream is to be a PM before you die, why don't both of you compromise if ever given that chance again.

Just like the bamboo plant, it is easy to prune them when they are still young. Alas for the old bamboo, one day they need to be removed, too.

Daylight: Yes, chop down the deadwood and the diseased bamboo. Snakes like to hide among bamboos, so get rid of them as well although a group of them have escaped earlier.

No, Mahathir should not be PM again. If he wants to save some face, he can become minister advisor with special functions to oversee 1MDB and other corruption court cases (accord him protocol equivalent to DPM) but appoint one DPM from either Sarawak or Sabah (not Mukhriz Mahathir who has little political standing for this position).

Unspin: The photos of Anwar pruning bamboo should remind his impatient PKR supporters that if it was not for the massive turnout by the supporters of Bersatu/Mahathir, DAP, Amanah and Warisan, Anwar would still be in Bamboo River (Sungai Buloh) Prison.

Mahathir is asking for only six months - which is not much different from the original timeframe for Mahathir to pass the baton to Anwar after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.

Yet, PKR does not have the patience to see it out whilst letting Perikatan Nasional (PN) steal the mandate given by the people to Harapan.

OrangeGoat4500: Anwar should accept the deputy prime minister’s post for six months, and let’s see the final outcome.

It will be very interesting to observe a new phenomenon in Malaysian politics. In any event, if Anwar cannot master the MPs’ full support, he still has to step aside from being PM.

It looks like Anwar wants to be the sole potential candidate for the PM post now to be in a position of strength to consolidate his position for the next election. This is politics.

Thana55: Anwar, if you remain dogmatic and stubborn then Harapan is gone for good.

If you agree to be DPM after six months (mechanisms are in place to ensure the date of enforcement), then Harapan will be revived for the good of the majority of the rakyat, which should be the focus.

So why are you dithering with your decision?

The Wakandan: Mahathir has no party, his position in Bersatu is unclear, and the majority of party officials and elected representatives do not support him. He is betrayed by his own deputy. He is left with four MPs aligned to him.

What can he offer Harapan and Malaysia? Harapan is better off without him.

Anwar is president of a party. The party is still intact though weakened after the defection of several of its MPs. He is betrayed by his deputy president who was aided by Mahathir. Still, he has almost 40 MPs from his party supporting him.

Why in the world is anybody still crazy about Mahathir? He sabotaged Harapan manifesto, schemed with the enemies (Umno and PAS) to overthrow Harapan and which led to Harapan downfall. It must be the most bizarre logic that Mahathir should be supported as PM after what he had done.

Even if Harapan cannot win the election without Mahathir, it is still better than with him destroying whatever is left of Harapan. Harapan should chart a new course; they had been doing that before, they have nothing to lose now.

PN is a monster, and at this rate, Malaysia would soon become an autocratic state. Harapan’s chance is there - with or without Mahathir.

Cogito Ergo Sum: The DAP has stuck by Anwar through and through. It was DAP’s Karpal Singh who defended him valiantly through during his Sodomy trials and Karpal made a very good case for Anwar.

It’s not fair for PKR to accuse the DAP of reneging on their friendship. The party, together with the members of Harapan Plus, wants to get back in the saddle and start putting this nation back on track.

If this stalemate goes on, there may not be a garden anywhere.

Anonymous_002820872000: Anwar's story is like a Malay tragedy. Mahathir does not like him. Warisan does not want him. Rural Malays reject him. Azmin Ali betrayed him.

His own PKR members lambast him. DAP and Amanah do not have faith in him.

IndigoJaguar7545: If anything, Mahathir's story is far uglier. Mahathir is on his last political legs, about to be struck out from his own party by the Federal Court, has hardly five MPs, and is desperate to complete a legacy he himself ruined.

It is because Mahathir plays hardball, and Anwar has always acted like a quiet mouse. If Anwar had just two or three times the spine, we might not be here today.

Once again, we're led by mostly incompetent men and legions of "yes men" and "yes women" in every party.

SapphireTiger8132: Maybe DAP and Co have the sanity to realise that Muhyiddin Yassin is going to be a worse dictator than Najib Abdul Razak and needs to be stopped at all costs.

The Azmin-Muhyiddin-Najib combo is already planning for snap elections by:

a) Arresting and charging all opposition MPs one by one - this is just the first batch, wait for the next round;

b) Closing down free media - Malaysiakini is on borrowed time;

c) Chilling dissent by hauling up even ordinary citizens.

For (a) and (c), a crackdown on Chinese MPs and citizens is doubly beneficial, as they can play the race and religion cards at the same time. So if you support Anwar's current prolonged tantrum, go see a psychiatrist.

ToGodtheglory: Food for thought. Anwar, Mahathir feels Malays cannot accept you as PM since you lead a multiracial party but these very same Malays expect you to set aside your ideals for a better nation and save them from the current backdoor government by supporting Mahathir.

Am I suggesting that you don’t save them now? No, it's your decision to make. But I do say that if you can save them now then you can save them tomorrow and after. This, they must acknowledge.

Apollos: So what if Mahathir leaves the post in six months? It does not necessarily mean that Anwar will become the PM, especially when Warisan does not support him. Then we are back to square one.

I do not support inviting MPs from the other side to join Harapan. That would be inviting toads and traitors to join the Harapan team.

It also means Harapan would have to give something to them that PN cannot give. I cannot imagine having unprincipled MPs in Harapan. Perhaps I am naive and cannot see the bigger picture.

Multi-Racial: If Mahathir is sincere, he would have supported Anwar as PM as a good gesture from him, especially after what he and his party have done to Harapan government.

Sorry, I do not think anyone should trust Mahathir again. Anwar can accommodate Shafie Apdal from Warisan as deputy PM, and Mukhriz as perhaps one of the four important cabinet positions.

If Mahathir is appointed PM and Anwar as his deputy, and even they have written agreement, six months from now, he will resign but he would not support Anwar. So Harapan Plus government collapse again. So, it is Anwar as PM, or no option.

Anak Malaysia.1548746465830: We should consider none of them. Find a new person. Both Anwar and Mahathir have passed their time. We need someone younger and more dynamic.

YOURSAY | Harapan’s dilemma is whether to trust Dr M, again

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