The Mahathirs: Time To Go

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During his father's time people like him would have been sacked in double quick time from the party without any hesitation or show cause from party leaders.

On top of that he would also be investigated by the ACA for some wrongdoings or corruptions just to seal the lid on the coffin.There are already calls from party members for him to resign or be sacked from the party.

Anwar Ibrahim learned a bitter lesson when he tried to go against the party supremo and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.However, Anwar is not an ordinary human being whose resolve can be easily broken.The few years in prison have made him even stronger and more determine to show the former premier that 'every dog has its day'.

Mukhriz Mahathir knew UMNO wouldn't remove him just yet.He is sitting pretty and continue to hound Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Like his father, his motive is to create more instability in the party and to pressure Abdullah to step down. His ultimate goal is to be sacked from the party and to gain sympathy from party members and ultimately to be seen as a hero.

He would be as disappointed as his father.

There are no love between party members and those out of power or the powerless. UMNO is a party of patronage, tow the line or suffer the consequence of your dissension. Subservience and loyalty are only meant for the oligarchy.

The seemingly weak Abdullah is not taking the bait and wouldn't at this juncture do anything superfluous to weaken the party nor would there be many disgruntled members leaving the party if Mukhriz decides to resign. In the event he is sacked from the party, there wouldn't be any 'reformasi' movement from the masses to show their discontentment and displeasure as seen during the sacking of Anwar Ibrahim in 1998.

The tiff between his father and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had become a family feud with concerted familial attacks by the Mahathirs on Abdullah. The whole unpleasant affair has turned into a personal vendetta that has thrown UMNO into slight disarray.

Mukhriz has openly declared that he would be going for the position of youth chief in the coming party elections in December this year.

This uncontroversial son of the former prime minister is not known for riding the high horses and have always steered away from controversy. Caught between the devil and the deep-blue sea, it is obvious, filial piety had probably got the better of him.A decision not all that wrong but could prove fatal to his future political carrier.

The older Mahathir has now come up with a new formula on how to topple Abdullah. He says 35 UMNO lawmakers should leave the party and stay as independents and stay away from AnwarPakatan Rakyat coalition.With their departure Abdullah government would collapse and Abdullah would have no choice but to resign. He said Najib should have the guts and should detach himself from Abdullah and step in as candidate for prime minister.The 35 ex-UMNO MPs should than give their votes to Najib and he would than be the new prime minister.Sounds terribly easy or just a pipe dream?

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Mahathir is running hither and yon, trying everything from the sublime to the ridiculous, to bring about the downfall of Abdullah. His decrepitude idea of a serious political crisis in the country is merely a figment of his imagination stem from the hatred for Abdullah for dismantling many of his money-spinning contracts for his cronies. Two massive projects chopped by Abdullah triggered off his admonition for the Prime Minister that has now backfired on him.

Soon after he took office Abdullah, at the chagrin of Mahathir, shelved the massive US$3.8 billion railway project given to a consortium controlled by Syed Mukhtar Al-Bukhary, a close associate of Mahathir, and the controversial crooked bridge, a retaliation against Singapore's hard-headed stands on many bilateral issues effecting the two countries. The bridge is his idea of giving access to ships plying the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea to by-pass Singapore and use the Strait of Johor to the Port of Tanjong Perlepas in south western Johor and Pasir Gudang Port in south eastern Johor.Both ports are under the control of Al-Bukhary.

Although the growth of his business empire has had some form of help from former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammed, due respect must be given to Al-Bukhary.Unlike many so-called Malay entrepreneurs who depended totally on political connections to jump start their venture into the business world, Al-Bukhary is a true entrepreneur that came from a humble beginning and worked his way up to what he is today.

The vainglorious Mahathir underestimated his current popularity in the party and throws his last trump card hoping he would this time unseat Abdullah by popular uprising in the party triggered by his resignation.A poor judgement and bad decision.

His resignation was followed by his businessman son Mokhzani who also resigned from the party.He was listed as the 28th richest person in Malaysia by Forbes with an estimated worth of US$220 million in 2007.He is also Chairman of Sepang International Circuit which has an annual budget of RM100 millions annually to host the F1 Grand Prix.A new contract with Bernie Eccelstone for night racing under lights would need another RM40-50 millions expenditure to light up the track.This is one of the so-called successful Malay entrepreneurs.

Another son, Mukhriz was elected as member of parliament in the recent elections and has followed in his father's footsteps and has, on several occasions, called on Abdullah to resign as Prime Minister.In spite of his insubordination he refused to resign from the party.

All the Mahathirs are still holding political appointments which they refused to resign.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad is a veteran politician, a man who used to tell UMNO member to be loyal to their leaders and that party interests come first and he who accused the West of double standards.What kind of standard is he using now?

It is by social convention that in any organisation, politics or otherwise, that if we ceased to support the leader and party principles we should resign and decouple ourselves from the organisation.

Since they have not been able to remove Abdullah from his premiership, it would be a matter of moral principle that:

Former PM Mahathir Mohammad resign from his positions as advisers to Petronas and Proton.

Mokhzani resign as Chairman of Sepang International Circuit, and

Mukhriz resign from UMNO.