Dr Mahathir : vote for BN

All the voters should reject the unethical and unprincipled political frogs.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said, PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim could be likened to a frog.

"When he was in Umno, he became a minister, then he joined the opposition and now he's their candidate for the by-election.

"We should not choose and trust people who like to hop from one party to another like that.

"He (Zaid) doesn't gamble but he has horse races. I too have horses but they are not horse races. He admitted having horse races but said he didn't gamble. I don't understand this," Mahathir said.

He urged voters in Hulu Selangor, who will go to the polls this Sunday, to vote for the BN candidate.

He said BN had proven its capability to bring development and change to the area towards improving the people's living standard.

Mahathir said the country had progressed from the BN's administration and because its leaders worked hard for the country's development and not for personal interests.

Mahathir: Government today is truly for the people

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hit the campaign trail for the Bukit Gantang by-election to endorse Barisan Nasional's Ismail Safian and launch his renewed attacks against his former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He is hoping to bring in the votes for BN.



Mahathir expressed his hope that the many members who had left the party would also return to its fold.

“Times have changed. The government today is truly for the people. So I am urging those who had left Umno, please come back,” he said, adding that he was confident that the current administration would be taking steps to address people’s unhappiness.

He also said that street demonstrations were not part of Malaysian culture and were a waste of time.

“What do we get by demonstrating on the streets, except to cause damage? Dialogue is the best way to resolve unhappiness and differences. If we are still unhappy with the government, then show it through the ballot boxes,” he added.

Dr Mahathir slammed ousted Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin for defying Sultan Azlan Shah's order to resign.

He criticized Nizar's move to award permanent land titles to villagers in the state.

"This man just wants to be popular. He gave out land to be popular," he added.

Is Dr Mahathir creating anger, hatred and disunity?

“Who is Tun Dr Mahathir who has left Umno and trying to issue orders to Umno people who should be followed?”


Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi lashed out at Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whom he described as behaving like the party elections director who decides “the leaders in the Umno party and whom should be removed”.

He said Umno had never needed instructions from leaders who were not in the party.

“He is behaving like the director for the party elections, determining so and so should hold such a position ... this person should hold this position, which needs to be in the party, who needs to be removed. What right has he to do this?” he said at a press conference at Kota Kinabalu International Airport.

“Actually he wants to create changes, anger and hatred. Is it really wrong for people to work with me? Should those people who don’t speak and don’t make noise be considered as bad people...people who have never done good for Umno and the government?

“Who is he to make such decisions? This will create hatred among Umno members, teaching Umno members to quarrel among themselves,” he said.

“Because of the contests which normally happen especially at the top level, there will be splits. We should learn from what had happened in the past."

“Such talks will raise anger among those who are considered unacceptable, (those who) must be sidelined. I consider what Tun had done had actually led to quarrels within Umno,” he said.

“Is this the reform that we want...We have freedom, every Umno member has the freedom to contest.”

“I hear that there was an attempt by someone to ask Ali Rustam (Malacca Chief Minister), who wants to contest the deputy president’s post, to withdraw ... why ask Ali to withdraw? What is bad about Ali?

“Let him contest and let Umno people decide whether they want Ali or otherwise. It’s better for Tun not to speak at all today,” he said.

EZAM IS WAITING TO HOP IN UMNO

The political games of “hop out” and “hop in” are on.

Ex-president and premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Barisan Nasional MPs should follow him to hop out of the coalition and now former PKR Youth leader Ezam Mohd Nor is waiting to hop in UMNO after receiving the green light from the top UMNO leadership.

The incidents illustrated how a holiness contest between politicians is doomed to backfire when it comes to conflict of interest. Are they just artifacts of an individualistic post-materialist political society with no real political substance?

Undoubtedly, in this two complex political incidents, to a certain extent, it appeared the normative core conspiracy theory that consists of two schools of thought, which are intended to balance out the relation between the goal of maximum personal political benefits and economic justice or otherwise?

One important question remains: Are we going to protect the Malaysian political frogs or otherwise? Anyhow, lets improve our knowledge on this unique amphibian by answering the quiz below:

The Frog Quiz

1. Political hopping frogs are found only in opposition parties. True or False?

2. We human need them. True or false?

3: All political hopping frogs make only croaking noise. True or false?

4: Political hopping frogs are more dangerous than poisonous wild frogs? True or false?

Look Here For Answers:

1. False: They can be found almost in all parties.

2. False: They only serve their own vested interests.

3. False: They can make all sort of noises.....some roar like tigers, some neigh like horses and a few sound like Orang Utan.

4. True: They can cause chaos to the society and even may led to civil war.

FORMER UMNO PRESIDENT DR MAHATHIR QUITS UMNO

The resignation of former Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad caught everyone by surprise.

To this point and in spite of the shock resignation, the most serious political questions most Malaysian wants answered remain unanswered now but it needs to be answered are whether the resignation of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would compel many Umno members, especially MPs to quit Umno and a snap election to be called? Does the quitting have serious political effects on UMNO, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Barisan Nasional?

It is truly unbelievable that former Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today announced that he was temporarily resign from Umno as a sign of no confidence in his successor's leadership with immediate effect and urged other members to follow him.

He indicated that he would only rejoin the party when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi steps down as Umno president.

"I will only come back to the party when there is a change in leadership," the ex-premier told a 1,200-strong crowd at a forum in his home state of Kedah this morning.

He also called on all Umno ministers, deputy ministers and all levels of party leaders to join him in leaving the party.

However, he asked these members not to join other political parties.

One notable Umno leader who has apparently took on Dr Mahathir's call to resign is Sanusi, who said he would release an official statement later.

Abudullah, in an immediate reaction, expressed shock at Tun Dr Mahathir's resignation, saying, "I didn't expect him to leave but I will continue to fight for the party."

TUN DR MAHHATHIR TALKS TO BBC STEPHEN SACKUR

The hottest talks in town now...
Mahathir Mohamad talks to Stephen Sackur in BBC Hardtalk.

Last month marked a watershed in the politics of Malaysia. Malaysia's ruling National Front endured its worst electoral performance in five decades yet it remains in power. Is it the beginning of the end for the National Front?

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Malaysia's Prime Minister for 22 years. He was Malaysia’s prime minister and one of the most outspoken leaders in the Muslim world. When he was Prime Minister his critics labeled him a racist and a dictator. Have his controversial views mellowed in retirement?

Watch Mahathir Mohamad talks to Stephen Sackur in BBC Hardtalk on Monday, 21st April 2008. Host, Stephen Sackur, asks in-depth and tough questions about Anwar Ibrahim, about Abdullah, about the judiciary, about Malaysia democracy.

Click here to watch the half hour interview programme.

MAHATHIR BANNED SIN CHIEW JIT POH AND THE STAR

I remember the old grandmother story. In 1987 the then Mahathir’s government banned two popular daily papers, the Chinese language paper Sin Chew Jit Poh and the English language MCA owned paper the Star as well as the Malay language biweekly paper Watan. The reason was, the paper had provided some avenues for the expression of alternatives views.

Ironically, what Prime Minister, Abdullah said is solidly based on the fact. Prime Minister, Abdullah said there were many things that were not right in the previous Prime Minister’s reign, citing the 1987 Operasi Lalang crackdown, the erosion of confidence in the judiciary and lack of freedom in the media as examples.

He also said Umno was deregistered under Dr Mahathir’s leadership (in 1988) “but we never asked him to step down”.

“There is no stopping his slew of accusations. He claims there is no freedom of media. Does he not remember that during his time, he asked the media to ‘block out’ stories and photos of (former Prime Minister) Tun Hussein Onn and not give coverage to certain people?

“As for Operasi Lalang, don’t forget who’s responsible,” he said, in reference to the 1987 crackdown in which over 100 people were arrested under the Internal Security Act for purportedly causing racial tension and posing a threat to national security.

On the judiciary, Abdullah said the problems did not start during his era.

“Many countries do not have confidence in our judiciary. And when there are differences between our countries, they do not want to refer the matter to a Malaysian court.

“They would rather take it to a court in Singapore, Hong Kong or Australia so I thought I had to do something about it to restore confidence because the people are hoping for reforms in the judiciary,” he said, in response to people being upset over what had been disclosed about the state of the judiciary during the Royal Commission of Inquiry hearing on the Lingam videoclip.

AHMAD ZAHID:DR MAHATHIR WRECKING UMNO FROM INSIDE

What is the best strategy to force the enemy to submit himself? The best strategy is nothing better than what is using by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad now. He is a political veteran and a good strategist. 22 years as Prime Minister and UMNO President, he knew in and out of UMNO and everything about the government.

Ironically, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Dr Mahathir is the one using a bigger stone to throw at the glasshouse not only to destroy the ‘walls’ but to totally destroy the whole glasshouse, is best describe the political scenario now.

“Will it not be better if a leader like Dr Mahathir use a better method to criticize the leadership and not the way of the Opposition?”

“The Opposition will use his criticisms to destroy Umno, as Dr Mahathir is wrecking Umno from the inside while the Opposition is trying to destroy it from the outside,” he said.

The serious questions arise now, why should a great leader like Tun Dr Mahathir using a bigger stone to throw at the glasshouse not only aim to destroy the ‘walls’ but to totally destroy the whole glasshouse now? Should any remedy actions taken to overcome the political crisis?

MAHATHIR DEMANDS UMNO TO OUST ABDULLAH

It is a serious political crisis for UMNO. Unexpectedly, Veteran ex-leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched his strongest ever attack against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today, and again called for his resignation following disastrous election results.

"I ask (Abdullah) to resign," the former prime minister, who ruled Malaysia for 22 years, told a gathering of at least 2,000 Umno members.

"Anyone else would have already resigned but (Abdullah) has no shame," Mahathir, who hand-picked Abdullah to succeed him in October 2003, told a cheering crowd.

Abdullah, also president Umno, is facing increasing calls to quit from party leaders.

Mahathir, calling Abdullah “shameless'' for not resigning, needs the party's support to oust the man he picked to succeed him. Public demands for change are mounting in Malaysia as an opposition alliance, buoyed by unprecedented election gains, woos government lawmakers in a bid to topple the coalition.

Former Malaysian Premier Mahathir Mohamad called for an emergency meeting of the nation's biggest political party to oust Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi following the government's worst ever election showing.

"Only when we reject this leadership can we reform the party,” Mahathir, 82, told a 2,000-strong gathering of mainly party members outside Kuala Lumpur today.

"It's OK if once in a while you betray or challenge the leadership. Don't be afraid.''

As reported, Abdullah has no comment, said a spokesman at his office who declined to be identified.