Dr M can become PM again if foes off guard, cautions Salleh

Sabah Umno leader Salleh Said Keruak has raised the startling prospect of Dr Mahathir Mohamad becoming prime minister for the third time with a third political coalition.

“In politics, age and ambition have no limits. Therefore, do not underestimate the will of an old man,” he said in reference to the 98-year-old politician.

The basis for Salleh’s bold prediction is the move to make Mahathir the unofficial adviser of the grouping of the four Perikatan Nasional-controlled state governments dubbed the SG4, which he claims makes the nonagenarian the de facto leader of the opposition coalition.

He believes this is just “the first move of many other bigger moves to come”.

“Even though the move to make Mahathir to be the de facto leader of PN is indeed an important move, such moves would only be significant and meaningful if Mahathir could make his way into Parliament and then become the leader of the opposition.

“He would use the appointment as being the economic adviser to SG4 to convince all PAS members of his sincerity,” Salleh (above, right) added in a Facebook posting.

Commenting on this, another Umno politician, who declined to be named, said while Salleh’s remarks appeared far-fetched given Mahathir’s advanced age and with the next general election not due until 2027, the former premier could make a return through a by-election.

Master of the game

Meanwhile, Salleh, who described Mahathir as a “very smart politician who is smarter than most of us”, said the latter wanted to have a more effective influence over the political domain in order to undermine Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

“He is a master in this kind of game. I would salute him for that.

“I believe this is what Mahathir is thinking and his corresponding move might eventually lead to a political crisis which may be bigger than the 2015 crisis faced by former premier Najib (Abdul Razak).

“PAS will not back him unless they truly believe in Mahathir’s political abilities. PAS surely believes that Mahathir could succeed where (PN chairperson) Muhyiddin (Yassin) failed - which is to return to Putrajaya,” he added.

Cautioning Mahathir’s adversaries, Salleh said an opponent’s “actions and intentions” have to be watched.

“If one does not act first, one will suffer first. Mahathir could again become the prime minister if all his enemies regard this as impossible and remain off guard,” he added.

Mahathir first became prime minister as the head of Umno and BN in 1981. He served for 22 years before retiring in 2003. In 2018, he returned as prime minister as the leader of Pakatan Harapan after toppling Umno and BN.

In the last general election, the former prime minister suffered a crushing defeat in his stronghold of Langkawi in his home state of Kedah where he lost his deposit. This led most observers to dismiss him as a spent force.

Since then, he has been on the warpath against Anwar, Harapan and Umno, weaponising issues of race to turn the Malays against the government.

Mahathir, who has a track record of ending the political careers of his successors, has now joined hands with another group of former foes, PAS and Bersatu.

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