Dr M's dilemma: High time to retire from politics or speak up?
LIZA MOKHTAR25 Apr 2023 07:30am
Dr Mahathir - Insert pic (from left) Ahmad Atory, Shamsul Amri, Teo Kok Seong dan Tawfik Yaakub
A
A
A
The justification given is simple - Dr Mahathir's glory days are over and the former two-time prime minister needs to step down in order to be remembered as a respected statesman.
For political veteran analyst, Professor Dr Ahmad Atory Hussain, there is no need to prevent Dr Mahathir's intention to continue being in politics if that is what he wants.
"Despite his age, his mind is still sound, alert, rational and reasonable when it comes to national issues, including politics," said Ahmad Atory to Sinar.
He said Dr Mahathir's position is not as strong as when he was the country's number one, so why worry about his presence in politics if he is already considered irrelevant?
"He is no longer a MP and the party he belongs to is also not in power.
"However, the demand for him to retire from politics actually shows that the former prime minister still has a touch," he told Sinar.
Ahmad Atory added what Dr Mahathir is doing now is not to bring down Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim but to talk about what he sees as weaknesses of the unity government, led by Anwar.
"He sees that Anwar is not fully fighting for the rights of Malays and Muslims and that Anwar's administration has not achieved anything impressive when it comes to lowering prices, cost of living, inflation and increasing foreign investment," he said.
He also said the situation in the country is currently challenging and Dr Mahathir's involvement in politics may be necessary to help resolve some of the issues.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Professor Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin believes there is no such thing has retiring for Dr Mahathir who has been involved in politics for decades.
"Will urging him to leave the political world make Dr Mahathir stop thinking about political issues? Certainly not. Once a politician, always a politician," he said.
He said those who demand that Dr Mahathir leave the political stage because he has a personal agenda do not fully understand the character of the former Langkawi MP.
He said Dr Mahathir speaks out when there are shortcomings that needs to be corrected and that does not mean he wants to bring down anyone.
Shamsul Amri said instead of looking for the negatives and urging Dr Mahathir to retire from politics, it is better to make him an advisor.
Profesor Emeritus Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong, a senior fellow at the National Professors Council (MPN), believes that Dr Mahathir should have retired from active politics after relinquishing his post as prime minister in 2003.
This is because at that time, his reputation as a distinguished statesman was looked upon, including by the opposition and political enemies.
Teo said Dr Mahathir should have only given unofficial advice to politicians, especially those in the government.
However, the decision to return as prime minister for the second time in 2018 may have showed that Dr Mahathir was no longer relevant to current political demands. Moreover, his comeback might have tarnished his reputation as a statesman who once governed the country for 22 years, said Teo.
"Very unfortunate for a statesman to experience such fate but it would not happen if he accepted the fact that his time has passed and he does not need to interfere in the affairs of the country's administration," he said.
Similarly, political analyst from Universiti Malaya Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub said that it is time for Dr Mahathir to make a decision to retire completely from politics.
"Firstly, due to his age factor, followed by how relevant he still is in the country's politics that is moving towards fresher and more open politics," said Tawfik.
He added that Dr Mahathir's poor performance in the 15th General Election (GE15), which led to the loss of his deposit is also an indicator for him to assess the need to continue his political struggle in the country.
In addition, Dr Mahathir's actions of joining and leaving political parties and forming new parties have caused onfusion as well as eroding the trust of the people, especially the Malays.
Tawfik said Dr Mahathir must realise that his political influence has dimmed and to avoid becoming hated by the people, he must stop "forcing" the country's leadership to follow his lead.
"This country is not solely owned by him and we have many more new generation leaders who are capable of continuing the country's political legacy," he said.
