KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA's former premier Mahathir Mohamad is
enjoying a surge in influence as a new administration prepares to
take power, according to pundits who fear a return to hardline
'Mahathirism'.
The grand old man of Malaysian politics endured a humiliating
exile from the circles of power after stepping down in 2003, as he
was punished for feuding with his hand-picked successor Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi.
Dr Mahathir, still feisty despite his 83 years and a string of
heart problems, was outraged by the dismantling of his pet projects
and seemingly made it his mission to bring down the mild-mannered
Datuk Seri Abdullah.
Last month he declared victory as the unpopular premier was
forced to announce he would depart in March 2009 in favour of
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, whom Dr Mahathir had publicly
championed for the top job.
'The country is witnessing the return of Mahathirism with the
former prime minister seen as having become the single most
powerful and influential individual' in the ruling party, said
opposition veteran Lim Kit Siang.
He said Dr Mahathir was transformed from a troublemaker to a
'king-maker' the moment Mr Abdullah caved in, after months of
turmoil in the wake of disastrous general election results.
During his years in the wilderness Dr Mahathir complained the
ruling party had ordered the government-linked press not to air his
views and said it had even leaned on organisations to withdraw
invitations for him to events.
But as the power balance shifted, Dr Mahathir has been brought
back into the fold of the United Malays National Organisation which
leads the coalition - feted at party events and once again
revelling in media attention.
Now there are rumblings that some of the worst aspects of his
two-decade rule - repression, media censorship and the use of
draconian internal security laws - could be revived.
'Najib's policies will mirror those of Mahathir's,' said Datuk
Seri Zaid Ibrahim, a cabinet minister who resigned in September and
who sees the hand of the new administration in a recent rash of
detentions under internal security laws.
'Mr Abdullah doesn't have that in him. On his own he would not
have done it, so he must be under tremendous pressure. Those
measures taken are an indication of what?s to come,' he told wires
agencies.
Mr Zaid, a maverick figure who quit the cabinet after being
blocked from cleaning up the judiciary and police, said that Mr
Abdullah's mild approach had allowed a measure of freedom in
Malaysia.
'It is true that he has not done much to effect the reforms that
he talked about, but Mr Abdullah did give the space - there's a
certain openness, people do express a lot more - and it will be a
loss if we go back to the old ways.'
Political analysts say that while Mr Najib will run his own
ship, he will be careful not to alienate Mr Mahathir and trigger
another destructive slanging match of the kind which helped fell Mr
Abdullah.
' Mr Mahathir probably will not have an official role (in the
new government) because that would raise too many eyebrows and too
many questions would be asked,' said Ms Tricia Yeoh from the Centre
for Public Policy Studies.
But I am quite sure that he will be informally consulted time
and again,' she said.
With Mr Najib in the top job, flanked by another Mahathir
protege Muhyiddin Yassin, who is slated to be deputy premier, and
possibly Dr Mahathir's son Mukhriz, who is contesting the
influential post of youth wing chief, the ex-premier will again
have friends in high places.
Mr Zaid said that Dr Mahathir's hardline style is attractive to
UMNO politicians who have been in disarray since the elections
which lost the coalition its two-thirds majority in parliament for
the first time.
'Dr Mahathir has his strong points too. As much as I disagree
with him on many issues, I also admire his tenacity and
consistency. He is a very forceful leader, so people gravitate
around that,' Mr Zaid said. -- AFP
