The Malaysian Insight

THE ghosts of Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 22 years as prime minister must first be addressed before he can successfully convince voters Pakatan Harapan (PH) is qualified and able to take over the country, say analysts.

From criticisms he ruled with an iron fist, to the firing of his popular deputy Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, Dr Mahathir has been attempting to put the controversies of his time in power to rest.

Political observers have said special care has been taken by Dr Mahathir to address his sacking of Anwar, because the 92-year-old is aware he needs the backing of Anwar’s PKR party.

“Issues of the past will never be resolved, but when it was agreed he would be the chairman of PH, the first thing he said in his speech was to thank Anwar’s family for accepting him,” said Institut Darul Ehsan deputy chairman Dr Mohammad Redzuan Othman.

Redzuan said Dr Mahathir’s main challenge was to win the confidence of voters that he was the man to replace Prime Minister Najib Razak and lead the country.

“To replace Barisan Nasional (BN), the most important thing is the people must be convinced. Anwar is in jail so there is no other leader that is convincing. But Dr Mahathir has 22 years of excellent (example). This is the option to replace Najib, and the people will be able to accept that,” he said.

“So what he is trying to do today is to win over the people because the big issue that mars his rule was Anwar Ibrahim. To return the people’s confidence in him, he has to first address the issue of Anwar,” Redzuan told The Malaysian Insight.

In an interview with Sin Chew Daily recently, the PH chairman admitted firing Anwar was a mistake, but said he had no other option as the police had presented damning evidence against Anwar.

Universiti Utara Malaya political analyst Dr Kamarul Zaman Yusoff said Dr Mahathir’s reason for extending the olive branch to Anwar was to gain the trust of Anwar’s supporters and those who sparked the Reformasi movement.

“He wants to ensure Anwar’s supporters will accept him (Dr Mahathir). Before this, many of Anwar’s supporters like the reformists were very angry with him.

“Now he has to convince these reformists he was not the only one to be blamed for what happened to Anwar in 1998.”

Kamarul also said Dr Mahathir was trying to tide over any feelings of resentment towards him within PKR, as the veteran leader was aware his party Bersatu could likely be deregistered and will need to contest on PKR’s logo in the polls.

“I think (his apology) is also because Bersatu’s registration could be cancelled by the Registrar of Societies. If that’s so, PKR will be the option for Dr Mahathir and Bersatu candidates to contest under.

“His recent statements could pave the way for PKR leaders to be more open towards him,” he said.

Other political observers believe Dr Mahathir should move away from dealing with issues during his leadership, and instead focus on building the confidence of voters towards PH’s manifesto.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Dr Kartini Aboo Talib said building voter confidence in the opposition’s agenda should be the top priority ahead of the 14th general election.

“I feel Tun M (Dr Mahathir) is still haunted by the past. Some of his actions, I deem as irrelevant (apologising for his mistakes) because whatever he says now, he will not be able to defend himself or justify some of his charges.

“Tun M should focus on the campaign agenda to win in the coming election and to convince voters the manifesto is realistic,” she told The Malaysian Insight. – March 17, 2018.