Dear all,

Just posted below comment in Tun Mahathir’s blog.

Dear PM Tun Dr Mahathir,

With full respect I refer to the news reported on your interview with the Financial Times below:

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/mahathir-says-he-will-not-step-down-until-he-has-resolved-the-problems-facing-the

Dr Mahathir expressed disappointment with Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his immediate successor who took over in 2003, as well as Najib Razak, both of whom rose under Dr Mahathir’s guidance. “One is very nervous about just letting go of the country to successors.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Ahmad_Badawi

Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was once a Foreign Minister par excellence and Mr. Clean. He single-handedly won GE11 with popular votes of 63.9%, winning 198 parliamentary seats out of 220. Malaysians from all walks of life gave overwhelming supports to Pak Lah, believing that he can clean UMNO off money politics and carried out his reform agenda to curb institution corruption and abuse of power. What a big let-down and disappointment seeing Pak Lah being held ransom by UMNO warlords, by his own family members, close relatives and little Napoleons in his Administration. Pak Lah simply lacks the political will and courage to fulfill his reform agenda as promised in his early days.

So the best way to conclude Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s stewardship of the country is to say that he has failed to live up to the legitimate expectations of the people. People say that he failed miserably to translate the aspiration of the people in wanting real reforms for the country. Perhaps it could be said, he fell into the same trap as many third world leaders as he too succumbed to corrupting tendencies of power.

As of Najib I can only quote Tun’s blog:

http://chedet.cc/?p=2830

Highlight:

• Najib malu jika Perdana Menteri (PM) Malaysia terdiri dari orang tua berumur 90 tahun lebih.
• Tetapi Najib tak berasa malu apabila Malaysia mempunyai PM yang dunia kenal sebagai kleptokrat, perasuah dan pencuri.
• Negara malu mempunyai Perdana Menteri yang seluruh dunia percaya telah selewengkan berbillion Ringgit duit Kerajaan. Negara malu Malaysia diklasifikasi sebagai negara rasuah dan kleptokrasi. Demikianlah rakyat berasa malu sehingga tidak mengakui rakyat Malaysia apabila ditanya di luar negara.
• Sesungguhnya amat pelik Perdana Menteri Malaysia ini. Apalah nasib rakyat Malaysia mendapat Perdana Menteri yang dipandang hina oleh dunia dan tak tahu malu.
• Najib tak malu; tak malu apabila berjumpa dengan pemimpin negara lain dengan berlagak sebagai seorang yang boleh nasihat pemimpin negara lain.

Tun is right in feeling nervous about just letting go of the country to successors as there is no guarantee that Tun’s successors will be successful. The million dollar question is why is this so?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation of 13 states operating within a constitutional monarchy under the Westminster parliamentary system and is categorised as a representative democracy.

The parliament follows a multi-party system and the governing body is elected through a first-past-the-post system. Parliament has a maximum mandate of five years by law. The prime minister must be a member of the Lower House of parliament who, in the opinion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commands a majority support in parliament. The cabinet is chosen from among members of both houses of Parliament and is responsible to that body. The Executive branch of the government consists of the Prime Minister as the head of the government, followed by the various ministers of the Cabinet

Our biggest problem lies with political party system where many good, clean and visionary talented leaders are shut off from climbing the political party hierarchy.

UMNO: The main founding member of the Alliance/BN represents Malay interest and won independent from British colony power. The early UMNO founder’s spirit of service above self is now relegated into history shelf. Money politics, bribery, corruption, abuse of power, cronyism, nepotism, arrogance, thuggish, cheating, lying through their teeth and brutal disregard to rule of law has becomes an inseparable part of today’s UMNO culture. The current UMNO president looks like and sounds like everything except a respectful leader …. MALU APA BOSSKU!

MCA:  One of the founding members of the Alliance/BN represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnicity but is well known as political party for Chinese Malaysian “towkays”

MIC: One of the founding members of the Alliance/BN represents the Malaysian Indian ethnicity but is well known as political party of it former President Samy Vellu for Samy Vellu by Samy Vallu’s supporters whereas those who opposed him will be kicked out of the party in doubly quick time.

PAS: An Islamist political party eager to run the country according to Islamic law rather than raising the peoples’ standard of living. Used to be a very clean political party under the late Tok Guru Nik Aziz, but not perceived so under the recent Tuan Guru Haji Hadi.

DAP: A Chinese majority based non-communal political party of Lim’s father and son.

GERAKAN: A Chinese majority based non-communal political party that rule Penang state from 1969-2007. A political party ahead of it time, unable to resist the shifting political tides of hatred, race and religion and totally swept away in GE14. I really miss the wittiness and fortitude of Gerakan former president the late Dr Lim Keng Yaik

PKR: A Malay majority based non-communal political party of DSAI born out of public outcry and outrage in what became known as the Reformasi movement on the arrest and subsequent incarceration of Anwar on what many believed to be politically motivated charges of sexual misconduct and corruption. The reformasi movement took over a small dormant party formed in 1991, Ikatan Masyarakat Islam Malaysia (IKATAN), and re-launched it as the National Justice Party (Malay: Parti Keadilan Nasional) on 4 April 1999, just in time to take part in the 1999 GE10 to take on Tun’s UMNO

AMANAH: The Islamist political party for progressive Islamist leaders (Ex-PAS leaders) where it’s President Mohamad Sabu used to give political talk for hour and hour if you happened to meet him and invited him for a cup of coffee.

WARISAN: A regional Sabah-based party formed on 17th October 2016 by Ex-UMNO vice-presidents Mohd Shafia Apdal to fight the corrupted kleptocrat Najib in GE14.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2018/09/415941/speech-text-dr-mahathir-73rd-un-general-assembly

Quote, “Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies” remains true to the aspiration of our founding fathers. The theme is most relevant and timely. It is especially pertinent in the context of the new Malaysia.

A new Malaysia emerged after the 14th General Election in May this year. Malaysians decided to change their government, which had been in power for 61 years, i.e., since independence. We did this because the immediate past Government indulged in the politics of hatred, of racial and religious bigotry, as well as widespread corruption.

Malaysians want a new Malaysia that upholds the principles of fairness, good governance, integrity and the rule of law. They want a Malaysia that is a friend to all and enemy of none. They also want a Malaysia that will speak its mind on what is right and wrong, without fear or favour. A new Malaysia that believes in co-operation based on mutual respect, for mutual gain.

The new Malaysia will firmly espouse the principles promoted by the UN in our international engagements. These include the principles of truth, human rights, the rule of law, justice, fairness, responsibility and accountability, as well as sustainability. It is within this context that the new government of Malaysia has pledged to ratify all remaining core UN instruments related to the protection of human rights. It will not be easy for us because Malaysia is multi-ethnic, multireligious, multicultural and multilingual. We will accord space and time for all to deliberate and to decide freely based on democracy. Unquote”

As of Tun feeling nervous about just letting go of the country to successors, what choice does Tun have when PH already decided before GE14 that Tun will lead the PH and will be the 7th PM of Malaysia before handing the premiership to DSAI as the 8^th PM of Malaysia? What worrying Malaysians most is what after DSAI when the current pools of political leaders are all mostly tainted or short-sighted? Can the current PH government amend the constitution where the post of PM and deputy PM will be by direct election? Only then can we have wider pool of “enlightened leaders with high moral value, true patriotism, selfless devotion to duty, and complete willingness to dedicate their lives to the cause of nation-building and raising the peoples’ standard of living” to choose from?

Till then Tun has no choice but to make successor plan sooner rather than later as I am afraid the longer the wait, the patience will run thin and political bickering/political chaos might drag the whole country down to the point of no return …..a failed state we manage to avoid just in time by voting out the corrupted BN’s government in GE14

Thank you

Yours truly,

SSLEE

PS: If given a choice:  My first choice for PM is current EC chairman Lawyer Azhar Harun and second choice Zaid Ibrahim. For deputy PM my first choice is Tun’s daughter Datin Paduka Marina binti Mahathir and second choice Activist lawyer Siti Kasim