Mahathir's defence of the DAP should worry the PKR
Former PM Mahathir Mohamad is talking a lot about the Democratic Action Party and this should get the PKR worried.
The elderly statesman was re-elected Prime Minister after the 2018 general elections after the PKR leadership surrendered the post to him.
He was one of the leaders of the Pakatan Harapan but was the chosen candidate for the post of PM if the PH were to win. They did, the PH kept their promises and Mahathir became PM.
He head the PH government for 22 months but resigned unceremoniously, without giving a chance to Anwar Ibrahim.
Mahathir had pledged to hand over power to Anwar after two years. He failed to do so.
This has opened a crack within the Pakatan Harapan. The PKR of Anwar Ibrahim has had enough of Mahathir and what they call his double language.
But the DAP and the Amanah does not seem to feel that way. They want Mahathir back as PM though they do not have the parliamentary majority to get him there.
After the collapse of the PH, Mahathir took some time off, mulling his return to the PH if he is given the leading role. The PKR do not want that. They don’t mind him to be back but its on their terms. He will be an advisor and may get a cabinet post as Minister Mentor.
Mahathir rejected the idea, proposed himself as PM and got the support of the DAP-Amanah and that of Warisan. But the PKR went against the lot. They pushed for Anwar to be the new PM of a future Pakatan regime.
MALAYSIAKINI AND MAHATHIR
The PKR proposal was rejected, outright by the Mahathir faction. Anwar had proposed that he will be PM and Mahathir’s son will be Deputy PM.
After Anwar rejected the idea that Shafie Apdal from Warisan should be nominated as the PM candidate, Mahathir distanced himself form the PH.
Now he has a foot in it, a foot out and his head in the clouds.
Nevetheless, for sometime now, Mahathir is talking about the DAP and how the ‘small’ Chinese majority party is unable to dictate the policies of the country.
He keep saying the DAP is too small to do any harm to the Malays who controls the Parliament with more seats than the DAP members.
In a latest interview with Malaysiakini, Mahathir says the Bersatu leader PM Muhyiddin Yassin wanted to break from the PH to bring down the DAP.
Malaysiakini says in the 22 months Mahathir was in power, the PH was marred with allegations the latter lacked power.
The portal adds to the rhetoric that some say Mahathir was purportedly under the control of DAP.
It says the DAP held the most number of parliamentary seats in the Harapan governing coalition. Some thought it was the PKR that had more seats among the PH parties.
Malaysiakini says in an exclusive interview on Thursday, Mahathir once again refuted the belief that DAP ever had him under their thumb.
“To say that DAP controls me… I think you are insulting me if you think DAP can control me,” was Mahathir’s stern reply.
“DAP had no such power. The one who had power was me. Everyone knows that I was the PM for a long period. During the first 22 years when I was PM, who controlled me?
DEFENDING LIM GUAN ENG
“Who had control over me? Not the International Monetary Fund (IMF), not even the World Bank could assert their control over me. I had various parties (under BN then); they too did not control me.”
Mahathir says the DAP had to think about the Malays too when they were in the Cabinet.
The ex-PM defended giving the post of Finance Minister to the leader of the DAP. A move that came under heavy criticism all through the 22 months.
Many issues came up and the sentiment of the Malay community was played up by the Malay opposition, the Umno and the PAS.
The Malays believe Lim Guan Eng as Minister of Finance meant less project for Malays. This is what the majority of the Malay population still believe.
Mahathir defended Lim Guan Eng’s alleged involvement in the Tabung Haji, a sacred company in the eyes of the Malays.
It is good that Mahathir is defending his choice of Lim as Finance Minister and is limiting the impact of the DAP and its large number of MPs in the PH government.
But the people on the streets, mostly the Malays see it differently. Reports are the Chinese community is also defecting from the DAP at some point.
It will be a tough sell for the DAP to bring Mahathir back as leader after what happened in February.
There is no guarantee that the Chinese community will support this plan. Mahathir’s interview and his defence of Lim shows that a plan is in action.
If it is to bring Mahathir back to the PH, it will have to face the PKR. If the PKR do not agree with this plan, it may break the PH or even the PKR.
There is no doubt that some PKR members will still want to have Mahathir as the leader of the PH. That is if he can bring the PH back to power.
Hence, we believe the PKR should be worried of Mahathir’s constant defence of the DAP.