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KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who intends to defend his Langkawi parliamentary seat in the coming 15th general election (GE15), should instead pave the way for another candidate, as his relevance in Malaysia’s political landscape is diminishing, opined an observer.
Sultan Zainal Abidin University political analyst Hussain Yusri Zawawi said that Dr Mahathir, 97, needs to accept the fact that the era of his rule has passed.
Dr Mahathir, he said, should emulate DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang’s move to take a step back from the political scene.
The Pejuang chairman, said Hussain, should ideally act as an adviser to the government and the opposition in order to create high-quality leadership.
“Dr Mahathir’s era has passed. He should be an adviser to the government or the opposition.
“His age indicates that he is no longer suitable to be an MP, as physical strength is important for one to be in the grassroots.
“There is no issue if he were to be the chairman of the party, but he should not strive to be a representative of the people and defend the parliamentary seat.
“The people today do not want a leader who only lives in Kuala Lumpur and sits comfortably in the Dewan Rakyat seat,” he told Getaran, The Vibes’ sister portal.
The academic said the Gerakan Tanah Air pioneer should present a new candidate who will be represented to defend the Langkawi seat in GE15.
Furthermore, he added that Pejuang should offer more youth candidates for state seats in order to win the hearts of the people who currently want that group to govern the nation.
“Dr Mahathir should give others a chance to run, because the people have given him two chances to run the government.
“In Langkawi, a new face should be nominated, and Mahathir, as a statesman, can be an adviser so that Pejuang can defend the area,” he added.
If Dr Mahathir wants to continue to be active in politics when various issues are highlighted against him, there is a chance that the people may no longer respect him in the future, according to Hussain.
‘Most want Dr Mahathir to stay’
However, Pejuang’s head of information, Ulya Husamudin, said that Dr Mahathir’s decision to remain in the Langkawi seat was the right move by the veteran leader.
According to Ulya, the majority of the island’s residents still want the statesman to continue his service in Langkawi.
“We (Pejuang) welcome and support Dr Mahathir’s decision, as we do not have time to put a new person in that seat. So, I think his actions are right.
“What is important is the local community’s acceptance of him…the people of Langkawi still want and love Dr Mahathir as a leader there.
“For me, the number of those who want him to rest and those who want him to remain competing are equal,” he added.
Meanwhile, Umno veteran secretary-general Datuk Mustapha Yaakub said that the intention of the Langkawi incumbent to contest in GE15 was just an act of revenge against Barisan Nasional, especially against Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Mustapha added that Pejuang or GTA must put candidates in all seats contested by Umno so the people can make the best coalition choice if they want Umno to be obsolete.
“Dr Mahathir established Pejuang, which has no fighting spirit and ended with a big loss in the Melaka and Johor elections.
“If you want Umno to be eliminated, the best way is to face and fight Umno in GE15.
“GTA or Pejuang must contest in all seats with candidates offered by Umno so that we can see whether the coalition or the party becomes the people’s choice,” he said.
In GE14, Dr Mahathir won the Langkawi parliamentary seat with 18,954 votes.
He defeated Datuk Nawawi Ahmad, the BN candidate, who was also the incumbent. The latter obtained 10,061 votes.
PAS candidate Zubir Ahmad also lost, with only 5,512 votes. – The Vibes, October 15, 2022
