Former PM Mahathir launches do-or-die gamble

It’s hard to tell now whether former premier Mahathir Mohamad will ever return to the ruling party, Umno. The last time he left the party, in 2008, he vowed to return as soon as his successor Abdullah Badawi had left office. And indeed when Najib Razak took over as prime minister the following year, Mahathir rejoined the party he once led.

Mahathir has now repeated his old trick, promising he will be back the moment Najib is out.

However, today’s political environment in Malaysia is very different from 2008. Although Mahathir faced ire a decade ago for criticising then-PM Abdullah, his departure still managed to create waves within Umno given his 22 years in office.

Though the current prime minister is reeling from allegations regarding the 1MDB scandal and the 2.6 billion ringgit (Bt22.3 billion) mysteriously deposited in his personal bank account, premier Najib is by no means the soft-spoken and indecisive leader Abdullah was. Even though Najib will, of course, eventually be replaced, it remains to be seen whether Mahathir will ever be given the opportunity to return to Umno.

His second departure has so far failed to create waves among the 3 million Umno members, which is no surprise. That said, the harsh reactions from several Umno bigwigs have opened our eyes to the ugly face of the country’s political reality.

The Umno leaders have said in unison they are not surprised by Mahathir’s move to quit the party since he had done the same before. The truth is that few in the ruling party will shed a tear over his departure, confident that Mahathir is no longer an indispensable pillar of Umno. Others have even suggested that he defect to an opposition party such as the PAS (Islamic Party of Malaysia), PKR (People’s Justic Party), or even the Democratic Action Party.

Among his open critics are people who moved up the Umno hierarchy thanks to a helping hand from Mahathir back in his heyday.

Everyone has the right to express his opinion, but if the only sound we hear is hammering against a dissident party veteran, then it is plain that Umno only tolerates those who are working hard to whitewash the misdeeds of their leader. In this case, Umno is demonstrating it lacks the foresight and wisdom expected of a ruling political party.

In the meantime, harsh action in the form of suspension or termination of party membership against those who dare criticise the party has successfully quelled dissent, but this is by no means a good thing for Umno.

To safeguard their personal interests, many politicians have opted to act against their conscience, telling lies without the slightest hint of shame.

In view of this, Mahathir’s exit serves as a litmus test for his residual credibility. If his departure manages only to draw a lukewarm response, we will see a hasty demise of his political influence. As such, it remains to be seen whether his do-or-die gamble will pay off.

Despite having helped bring Umno to prominence and making enormous efforts to safeguard the rights of his community, Mahathir has endured a rocky political road. Now, having left the party for a second time in protest against his handpicked successor, he faces the choice of defecting to his onetime political enemies if he wants to advance his plan of toppling Najib.

Dramatic developments in Malaysia are once again underscoring an eternal fact – in politics, there are no permanent friends or foes.