As promised, no let up in Dr M's assault on PM

As promised, no let up in Dr M's assault on PM

(Malaysian Insider) KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Barisan Nasional would be in the Opposition after the next elections if Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was allowed to continue as the Prime Minister.

This prediction was offered by his nemesis Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in Tokyo – the latest broadside by the former prime minister who quit Umno on Monday in protest against Abdullah’s continued leadership of the ruling party. Dr Mahathir warned that he will attack the PM at every opportunity and seek ways to force him out of office.

And he has done so, urging Barisan Nasional MPs to quit the coalition, become independents and force the collapse of the Abdullah administration. In the last 48 hours, he has dredged up past allegations of cronyism against the PM and lashed out at anyone who has come forward to defend Abdullah.

This ratcheting up of the attack has created more uneasiness in the party, prompting veteran Datuk Aziz Tapa to urge the Malaysian King to intervene and help end the spat between Abdullah and Dr Mahathir.

On the sidelines of the Nikkei Conference, Dr Mahathir told The Star that Umno is preparing its own demise and that of Barisan Nasional by allowing Abdullah to be in power.

"Yes, Umno can consider me irrelevant. It is their funeral and not mine. Today the Barisan has been destabilised by Abdullah not being able to lead it to victory in the general election.

"Barisan, in some cases, has become irrelevant. Gerakan has become irrelevant, MIC could not win. All this was due to him. He not only destabilised Umno, he destabilised component parties and he destabilised Barisan," he said.

During the interview he elaborated on his idea of BN MPs resigning from their component parties, becoming independents and forcing the collapse of the Abdullah administration. When asked if his approach would present Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim the key to the government, he said:

"I am offering an alternative which is less dangerous for Barisan. Instead of jumping to another party, I am telling them to form your own group which will be the determining force in Parliament."

He added that if Abdullah did not step down, he would be in the minority because other BN MPs had already left the fold and he would have to give up his post as Prime Minister.

"If in that case Anwar wants to come in, this group will give support to Barisan and Barisan with a new leader can still go on to become the government,” he said.

This theory has been ridiculed by some BN MPs who argued that the gambit of becoming independents would hurt the reputation of component parties, destabilise Parliament and lead to its dissolution and fresh elections. This chain of events could persuade voters that the BN does not deserve support, whether Abdullah is at the helm or not. The only winner: Anwar and the Pakatan Rakyat.