PRK Sungai Limau: Apakah ini pengakhiran Mahathirisme?

OLEH SHERIDAN MAHAVERA
NOVEMBER 05, 2013
LATEST UPDATE: NOVEMBER 05, 2013 08:01 AM

Calon PAS, Mohd Azam Abdul Samad berjaya mengekalkan kerusi PAS di Sungai Limau. Gambar The Malaysian Insider oleh Najjua Zulkefli, 5 November, 2013.Apabila Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad turun ke Sungai Limau pada saat-saat terkahir untuk berkempen pada 3 November, seorang aktivis kanan PAS dari Alor Star menyifatkannya sebagai satu “kelegaan”.

“Ramai penduduk di Sungai Limau berlatarkan pendidikan agama,” kata aktivis itu merujuk kepada komuniti guru, pelajar dan ibu bapa yang terlibat dengan pendidikan Islam atau digelar “pondok” di kawasan itu.

“Mereka masih ingat bagaimana Mahathir merendah-rendahkan PAS dan konsep negara Islam kami,” kata aktivis itu merujuk kepada “perang panjang” bekas Perdana Menteri itu dengan PAS sebelum meletakkan jawatan pada 2003.

PAS dan agenda negara Islam menjadi sasaran kritikan Dr Mahathir terutama selepas parti Islam itu berjaya merampas kerajaan negeri Terengganu dan menang banyak kerusi di Kedah dalam pilihan raya umum 1999.

Jadi ia umpama “hari pembalasan” apabila Dr Mahathir turun untuk membantu memancing undi bagi Barisan Nasional (BN) daripada orang yang pernah beliau “perangi” satu ketika dahulu.

Tetapi penganalisis dan aktivis berkata, anak kelahiran Kedah itu mempunyai pengaruh untuk memenangi hati pengundi atas pagar yang masih belum membuat keputusan pada hari mengundi.

“Saya tidak percaya pengaruhnya hari ini sehebat seperti media gembar-gemburkan,” kata penganalisis politik, Prof Datuk Dr Shamdul Amri Baharuddin dari Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia merujuk kepada Dr Mahathir.

“Mungkin di peringkat antarabangsa, tempat seperti Somalia, beliau masih disanjung, tetapi tidak lagi di sini,” katanya.

Penasihat DAP, Lim Kit Siang turut menulis di blognya mengenai pengaruh Dr Mahathir baru-baru ini.

Dalam satu tulisan di blognya pada 3 November, Ahli Parlimen Gelang Patah itu membuat spekulasi mengenai “Apakah Mahathir dan Mahathirisme akan menghadapi kegagalan ketiga atau terakhir sejak enam bulan lalu dalam pilihan raya kecil esok?”

Semalam, pentadbir sekolah agama Mohd Azam Abdul Samat, 37, dari PAS berjaya mendapat 12,069 undi untuk menjadi Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Sungai Limau yang baru.

Mohd Azam menewaskan bekas pensyarah, Dr Ahmad Sohaimi Lazim, 52, dari BN dengan majoriti 1,084 undi.

Ibrahim Suffian dari Merdeka Center berkata, beliau percaya pengaruh Dr Mahathir hanya kuat di kalangan penyokong BN.

“Pengaruhnya mungkin berkesan kepada seseorang yang pernah mengundi BN pada masa lalu tetapi tidak berpuas hati dengan BN dan keliru siapa yang perlu diundi.

“Bagi orang seperti ini, aura Dr Mahathir masih lagi kuat,” katanya yang pernah membuat tinjauan mengenai pengaruh politik Dr Mahathir.

Pemantauan Ibrahim selari dengan laporan aktivis Pakatan Rakyat (PR) yang mendakwa Dr Mahathir melawat rumah kebanyakan bekas pemimpin PAS tempatan.

 “Beliau melawat pemimpin PAS yang baru-baru ini dipecat daripada parti. Kami percaya niatnya untuk menimbulkan kekeliruan di kalangan penyokong PAS,” kata seorang lagi aktivis PAS Kedah.

Aktivis itu berkata, Dr Mahathir bertujuan mengelirukan sesetengah penyokong PAS untuk berfikir bahawa pemimpin tempatan ini sekarang menjadi penyokong BN.

“Kehadirannya mungkin mempunyai kesan. Kami tidak nafikan itu,” kata aktivis itu.

Aktivis Umno turut mengakui pengaruh Dr Mahathir tidak sekuat semasa beliau menyerang penggantinya, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi satu ketika dahulu.

“Mungkin bagi ahli Umno berjawatan, beliau memberikan sokongan moral. Tetapi bagi golongan pertengahan Umno, mereka sudah penat melayan kritikannya kepada parti,” kata seorang ahli Umno veteran Kedah.

Shamsul Amri berkata, walaupun pengaruh Dr Mahathir mungkin sudah berakhir, keadaan mungkin berbeza bagi Umno, terutama Umno Kedah di bawah pimpinan anaknya Mukhriz yang mengetuai kempen di Sungai Limau.

Ini berdasarkan fakta bahawa Umno berjaya mengurangkan majoriti diperolehi PAS di Sungai Limau pada pilihan raya umum 5 Mei lalu.

Sungai Limau merupakan kubu kuat PAS sejak 1995.

Shamsul Amri berkata, pada 5 Mei, Umno merampas kembali semua kerusi yang mereka hilang kepada PAS pada pilihan raya umum 2008. Mereka juga mendapat majoriti kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) lebih besar berbanding kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat sebelum itu.

“Jadi apabila PAS dan Pakatan tidak dapat berbuat banyak semasa pentadbiran mereka BN Kedah sekarang boleh mendapatkan dana dari pusat untuk membangunkan negeri. Sekarang Umno membuat laluan di kubu kuat PAS,” katanya.

Katanya, sebagaimana sokongan pengundi boleh berubah terhadap sesetengah personaliti, ia juga boleh berlaku kepada kesetiaan terhadap sesuatu parti. – 5 November, 2013.

Kenapa Mukhriz, Kenapa Tidak KJ?

Ramai dah tahu susunan kabinet baru Najib, samada melaui siaran langsung TV pada jam 3.00ptg tadi atau melalui blog-blog. Ramai juga tertanya-tanya kenapa orang no 2 dalam Pergerakan Pemuda Umno boleh dilantik menjadi Timbalan Menteri padahal ketua nya langsung tidak diambil kira?

Begitu juga dengan anak mahathir yang kalah berjuang di tangan KJ untuk jawatan no 1 Pemuda telah dilantik juga ke jawatan timbalan menteri. Kemana Ketua Pemuda nya, KJ? Kenapa tiada sebarang jawatang untuk KJ?

Walau pun saya bukan lah pengikut KJ, saya tidak ada apa-apa hubungan dengan KJ dan saya juga bukan ahli parti KJ tapi sekadar ingin menyatakan isi hati saya bahawa susunan kabinet najib adalah dari telunjuk mahathir. Apakah kita boleh percaya pada kata-kata mahathir ketika sidang akhbar semalam bahawa dia tak terlibat dengan susunan ahli kabinet najib?.

Hishamuddin Hussein ketika menjadi Ketua Pemuda Umno telah dilantik ke jawatan menteri. Noraini ketika menjadi Ketua Puteri Umno juga telah dilantik ke jawatan timbalan menteri. Ketua Wanita sekarang Shahrizat diberikan semula jawatan menteri, Ketua Puteri, Rosnah Rasyid juga di lantik ke jawatan timbalan menteri, tetapi kenapa tidak untuk KJ, jangan katakan menteri, timbalan menteri pun tiada untuk nya.

Sebenarnya bukan jawatan untuk KJ yang ingin di persoal tetapi apakah telor najib dalam gengaman mahathir? Kalau betul lah anggapan saya ini, maka zaman pemerintahan mahathir akan kembali menguasai tanah air kita yang tercinta ini melalui badutnya si Najib ... Malaysia Oh Malaysia.

Kiriman : Pak Teh

Mahathir Kembali Kepangkuan UMNO

Mahathir telah pun menyertai semula umno malam ini.

Beliau bersama isteri telah pun menyerahkan borang permohonan kepada Najib Razak malam ini.

Apakah "Mahathirsm" akan kembali ke arena politik Malaysia?

Sama-sama lah kita tunggu episod selanjutnya selepas ini.

No return to Mahathirism - malaysiakini

By Bruce Gale

NOV 22 — Is Malaysia about to get another taste of Mahathirism? There are many who think so, and it is easy to see why. On Oct 9, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced his decision to hand over power to his deputy, a man Malaysia's former strongman has long championed for the top job. The handover is expected to take place after Umno holds its elections in March.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had been calling for the resignation of Abdullah for months. His attacks on the Prime Minister became more shrill after national elections earlier this year resulted in the government losing its two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time since 1969. Five states also fell under the control of opposition parties.

Once dutifully ignored by both the political elite and the local press, Dr Mahathir is again being feted at Umno party functions. The former prime minister is also getting plenty of media attention after appearing to give his blessing to the new leadership now coalescing around Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“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, argues opposition veteran Lim Kit Siang of the DAP.

But while Dr Mahathir would probably find the idea of being the power behind the throne attractive, it is difficult to imagine things working out like that. After all, Dr Mahathir's attacks were not the only — or even the most important — reason Abdullah lost support within Umno.

And however much Najib might want to avoid alienating his influential supporter in the early months of his administration, one of the first things the new prime minister can be expected to do is demonstrate that he is no pushover. Thus, while Najib may meet Dr Mahathir from time to time, he will also be anxious to demonstrate that

it is he — and not the latter — who is running the country.

Indeed, this may be exactly the approach his party colleagues expect. After months of indecision in the face of the challenge posed by opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Umno leaders would almost certainly welcome a strong prime minister.

But some would argue that this is exactly what they mean by a return to Mahathirism — strong leadership. After a brief flirtation with a more tolerant political atmosphere under Abdullah, they argue, Malaysia is about to revert to the political repression and media censorship that characterised Dr Mahathir's 22-year rule.

Those who believe that Najib will take this path point to the use of the controversial Internal Security Act in September against two journalists and a Selangor executive councillor.

“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 are an indication of what's to come,” former de facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim told Agence France-Presse earlier this month.

But there is more to Mahathirism than mere authoritarianism.A vocal critic of Western-style globalisation, Dr Mahathir has long had harsh words for US-dominated international financial institutions. When in office, he was also known as an economic nationalist whose approach to development involved the identification and support of key businessmen whom he believed shared his nationalist vision.

Determined to turn the country into an industrialised nation, he poured huge amounts of money into controversial projects for electricity generation, car manufacture, steel production, and an Internet-based “multimedia supercorridor”.
One of Dr Mahathir's main complaints about Abdullah was that he cancelled or downgraded many of these schemes. The fact is, however, that Najib is unlikely to reverse Abdullah's decisions on these schemes. This was illustrated last month, when Najib backed the decision of state-owned car manufacturer Proton to sell its stake in heavily indebted subsidiary MV Agusta Motors Spa.

Dr Mahathir, who is Proton's adviser, enthusiastically supported the US$112 million purchase of a 57.7 per cent stake in the motorbike manufacturer in 2004. Proton sold the stake in 2006 for a nominal €1 to an Italian company, saying the acquisition had been a blunder. Rejecting Dr Mahathir's call for an investigation into the sale, Najib — who is also currently Finance Minister — told Parliament that Proton sold the company to avoid being saddled with further losses.

As prime minister, Najib may seek to keep Dr Mahathir engaged. But he will probably keep him at arm's length. With wide experience in government, strong links to royal houses in Johor and Pahang, and a political pedigree few of his contemporaries can match — his father was Malaysia's second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak — Najib is unlikely to be intimidated by what remains of the former strongman's charisma. And with a major global recession looming, he will have plenty of reason to distance himself from Dr Mahathir's controversial and sometimes offbeat views on economics.

Will Malaysia return to Mahathirism? Not likely. — Straits Times