Eksklusif: “UMNO yang ada hari ini, kami yang hidupkan” Sanusi Junid
Oleh Helme Hanafi
Rabu, 09 April 2008
Mukaddimmah (bahagian pertama)
TAN Sri Sanusi Junid keluar menyambut kami di pintu. Tenang dan bergaya. Pertemuan bersama media tersebut berlangsung di Kelab Aceh, Plaza Mont Kiara Kuala Lumpur. Sejurus masuk, beliau membawa kami ke bilik bacaan.
“Tunggu sekejab, ada lagi yang belum datang,” katanya. Beliau mencapai sebuah buku tentang pejuang wanita Aceh lalu diberikan kepada isteri saya, “Baca buku ini dulu,” katanya sebelum berlalu.
Di rak, bersusun buku tentang Aceh dan GAM. Kata singkat pada Gerakan Aceh Merdeka. Sanusi merupakan cucu kepada pemimpin besar bangsa Aceh Teungku Cik di Tiro manakala isterinya pula anak kepada ulama besar Aceh Teungku Muhammad Daud Beureueh.
Sanusi dan Aceh tidak boleh dipisahkan. Mungkin darah perjuangan bangsa Aceh yang mengalir di tubuhnya itu menjadikan beliau lantang biarpun sudah berusia. Dan mungkin dari situ juga menjadikan beliau pengikut yang setia.
Beberapa hari sebelum ini, nama bekas Setiausaha Agung UMNO ini kembali menghiasi dada-dada akhbar berikutan kelantangannya mempertahankan bekas bossnya Tun Dr Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
Kecewa dengan bekas rakan Kabinet
Sanusi antara lain kecewa dengan sikap bekas rakan-rakan Kabinetnya yang membiarkan Tun Dr. Mahathir bersendirian mempertahankan beberapa keputusan penting kerajaan sepanjang 22 tahun kepimpinan Tun Dr. Mahathir.
“Seolah-olah Tun Dr. Mahathir saja yang buat keputusan, sedangkan apa yang berlaku sebenarnya adalah keputusan Kabinet, kalau dulu sokong mengapa sekarang bantah,” katanya.
"Beberapa keadaan yang aneh dalam negara kerana tidak ada orang yang dapat mempertahankan keputusan-keputusan Kabinet yang di buat bersama di waktu Dr Tun Dr. Mahathir menjadi Perdana Menteri,”
Sudah tentu beliau merujuk kepada kenyataan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengenai pembabitan Tun Dr. Mahathir dalam kes penahanan ISA besar-besaran pada tahun 1987 yang dikenali sebagai ‘Operasi Lalang’.
Abdullah dalam serangan balasnya ketika pertemuan dengan ketua-ketua penerangan UMNO seluruh negara minggu lalu berkata, “Bila Dr. Mahahtir mengambil alih jawatan dari Tun Hussein saya tahu reporter semua dipanggil jangan beri berita kepada Tun Hussein, jangan tunjuk gambar Tun Hussein. Operasi Lalang siapa yang bertanggungjawab saya tahu bukan saya tak tahu,".
“Tidak mungkin Tun mahu jahanamkan UMNO”
SEKETIKA kemudian, dua wartawan kanan akhbar arus perdana datang, mengambil tempat masing-masing. Sanusi yang berkemeja putih berpetak biru dengan tangan yang dilipatkan membawa bersama dua keratan akhbar Cina.
“Tengok liputan mereka lebih menyeluruh,” katanya. Ada gambar beliau berceramah di Hotel De Palma Ampang dalam satu majlis yang turut dihadiri oleh Dr Tun Dr. Mahathir.
Selepas berbasa-basi. Sanusi terus membuka mulut, katanya tujuan pertemuan ini diadakan adalah untuk beliau menjelaskan lebih lanjut berhubung dengan beberapa perkara yang berlaku terutamanya;
“Beberapa keadaan yang aneh dalam negara kerana tidak ada orang yang dapat mempertahankan keputusan-keputusan Kabinet yang di buat bersama di waktu Tun Dr. Mahathir menjadi Perdana Menteri,” katanya.
Sanusi bercakap panjang, dari soal mempertahankan Tun Dr. Mahathir, isu sabotaj, soal Abdullah dan tingkat empat, kisah bekas Presiden PAS Datuk Fadzil Nor terima anugerah Datuk, sehingga ke soal siapa yang membawa masuk Anwar Ibrahim ke dalam UMNO.
Memang beliau seorang yang setia. Sekurang-kurangnya kepada Tun Dr. Mahathir. Kata beliau, tidak mungkin Dr Tun Dr. Mahathir mahu menjahanamkan UMNO.
“UMNO yang ada hari ini kita yang hidupkan, UMNO lama sudah mati, di bawa ke mahkamah oleh Team B, siapa Team B, tengok balik,” katanya.
"UMNO lama sudah mati, di bawa ke mahkamah oleh Team B, siapa Team B, tengok balik,”
“Tun Dr. Mahathir nombor keahlian dia 001, Siti Hasmah (isteri Dr Tun Dr. Mahathir) 002, saya 007,” sambungnya lagi.
Di beberapa bahagian temubual ini, Sanusi bersuara tinggi, kata-katanya lancar menyerang mereka yang mempertikaikan Tun Dr. Mahathir.
“Boleh tegur, tapi biar orang yang sama level, bukan budak-budak yang baru seminggu dua jadi menteri,” kata beliau barangkali ditujukan kepada Menteri Penerangan Datuk Ahmad Shabery Chik yang baru-baru ini ada membuat kenyataan yang agak keras terhadap Tun Dr. Mahathir.
Mitos Sanusi Junid
PERTEMUAN dengan bekas Menteri Besar Kedah itu bukanlah sesuatu yang dirancang. Saya sedang bercuti sakit di rumah apabila Pengarang Malaysia-Today Raja Petra Kamaruddin telefon bertanya mahu ke tidak bertemu Sanusi.
Sanusi? Ada sesuatu yang menarik tentang dirinya yang membangkitkan keinginan saya untuk bersemuka.
“Sedikit masa dahulu dalam UMNO hanya tiga orang membaca: Tun Dr. Mahathir, Anwar dan Sanusi," kata Khalid Jaafar
Semasa saya berkerja dengan Berita Keadilan, bos saya, Khalid Jaafar, bekas setiausaha akhbar Anwar Ibrahim memberitahu “Sedikit masa dahulu dalam UMNO hanya tiga orang membaca: Tun Dr. Mahathir, Anwar dan Sanusi.
“Tun Dr. Mahathir gemar membaca buku-buku pengurusan dan suatu masa mewajibkan pegawai-pegawai kerajaan membaca The Mind of the Strategist yang tulis oleh Keinchi Ohmae.
"Manakala Sanusi gemar membaca biografi diktator - Hitler, Stalin dan termasuk juga Napoleon dan Sanusi juga mengatakan Lee Kwan Yew telah mencuri ideanya tentang eugenic selection dan melaksanakannya di Singapura,” kata Khalid.
Dan keinginan saya bertemu Sanusi berbalas. Sejam setengah mendengar beliau bercakap, saya dapat rasakan, dia seorang yang penuh tenaga fikirannya.
Percakapannya bersahaja, tetapi diselang-selikan dengan kiasan dan sindiran. Beliau senang bercerita tentang itu dan ini.
Ada sekali, kami bertanya mengenai media yang semakin berani kini, jawabnya, “Pokok hendak rebah, kura-kura pun hendak naik,”.
“Saya boleh letak jawatan”
Satu ketika, tanpa ditanya, Sanusi berkata, “Kalau Abdullah tidak mahu saya lagi sebagai Presiden UIAM, saya boleh letak jawatan sekarang juga, bukan beliau yang lantik saya, Tun Dr. Mahathir yang lantik saya, beliau hanya sambung (kontrak) saja,”.
Semuanya akan kami siarkan secara berperingkat mulai Khamis ini.
Ada satu ketika, kami bertanyakan mengenai apakah Anwar Ibrahim berkemampuan menjadi Perdana Menteri.
Katanya, bersahaja, “ Kalau Abdullah layak, semua orang layak,” kami ketawa besar.
Khamis: Operasi Lalang dari kacamata Sanusi Junid.
Showing posts with label TDM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TDM. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Tun Dr. Mahathir Rendered Speechless
BERANI KERANA BENAR!
BY Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
"As I had anticipated, my comment on (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department) Dato Zaid Ibrahim's suggestion that the Government should apologise for the action taken against Tun Salleh Abbas would draw accusations against me for my alleged misdeeds during my tenure of office.
I regard this as an attempt to shut my mouth should I find occasion to criticise the present Government. It is always about "You were worse when you headed the Government", even if it is obvious that I had not done badly.
Param Cumaraswamy's letter (The Sun, April 2, 2004) falls in that category. He wants to know why action had not been taken against me over the allegations made by Datuk Shafee Yahya (former director-general of the Anti-Corruption Agency) during the Anwar Ibrahim trial.
The statement may be a sworn testimony in court but the accuracy of it cannot be accepted unquestioned. There were omissions and inferences which mislead.
Counsel was of course interested in proving that Anwar did not inveigle Shafee into doing something wrong. But during the trial it was revealed that he did get a senior police officer to threaten and intimidate his accusers.
I admit to calling up Shafee to ask him about the raid by the ACA on the office of the director of the Economic Planning Unit. I did that because I received a complaint from the director that the ACA had been very offensive towards him during the raid. He also said that he believed the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister had set up the whole thing.
I knew that Government officers were sometimes overzealous and would overstep or abuse their authority.
I could not verify whether there was any truth in what the EPU director said. Accordingly, I called the director of the ACA to find out what actually happened.
I asked many questions, many more than what he said in Court. I also asked him if he had been directed by Datuk Seri Anwar to carry out the raid.
He denied it but he became angry when I asked whether he intended to pursue his investigation. Raising his voice, he accused me of trying to stop him from carrying out his duty. Angrily, he said that he was a senior civil service officer and that I had no right to question him about his work.
I was shocked at his loud accusation against me. No civil servant however senior had spoken to me like that. I was rendered speechless.
These exchanges were carried out in my office. No other person was present. No notes were taken, nor was there any recording at least by me. So only the two of us would know what really happened or was said.
What he said in court is his version. There is nothing to verify what he said nor is there anything to verify what I say now is wrong. It is a case of his words against mine, sworn testimony notwithstanding. He had obviously omitted his shouted accusations against me. Had what he said in court was all that happened, then it would not have taken more than three minutes. But what he said and what I said took longer than three minutes.
I wonder how counsel knew of what happened in the privacy of my office. Even the Chief Secretary, the only person who was informed by Datuk Shafee could not have told counsel. Obviously it was Shafee who volunteered information. Why did he do this?
I was not a party to the trial of Anwar. If I was to be accused, I should at least be heard. But clearly Shafee saw Anwar's trial as an opportunity to make statements detrimental to my reputation.
Shafee was an angry man and what he said in court was opportunistic and seem to reflect his desire to take revenge against me. I can only assume that this was what motivated him, because what he divulged did not help Anwar much. But it did put me in a very bad light.
As to why this case has not been followed, I can only assume that the courts are busy and there are tens of thousands of cases which have yet to be heard. Maybe the fault is with the Attorney-General or Police. I would not know.
Still I welcome any investigation by impartial people as to the truth or otherwise of what I say in this letter.
As for Param Cumarawamy and Karpal Singh, their hatred of me is well known and apparently has not abated even after I am no longer Prime Minister.
Many lawyers were angry with me because I had quoted Shakespeare during a Cabinet meeting which says "the first thing we do, we hang the lawyers". I was only joking but they heard of it and believed I meant what I said. The judges also felt unhappy with me.
Besides I had criticised the judiciary for disregarding the intention or objectives of the laws formulated by the legislative wing but instead interpret them based on the words used. Was I committing a crime for saying this? I was merely stating a fact. Can no one comment on the judiciary at all even when they disregard the interest of the country? In many developed countries it is common for the public to criticise the judiciary.
As for Param, he made libellous remarks about a fellow Malaysian when he was a member of a Untied Nations Commission. He should have been hauled before a Malaysian court but he claimed immunity due to his appointment by the UN.
My stand was that his immunity was only with regard to the specific work for the UN. If he breached Malaysian laws on matters not related to this work, then he cannot plead immunity.
His libellous words against a Malaysian individual had nothing to do with his work for the UN. He should therefore be liable, and his immunity could not be invoked. But he got the UN to back him. It was even hinted that if Malaysia prosecuted him, then our case before the International Court of Justice on the issue of the ownership of Sipadan and Ligitan would be jeopardised.
Accordingly, I agreed that he should not be prosecuted. Luckily it was only libel. Had Param Cumaraswamy murdered a person, and he claimed immunity, then there would indeed be a miscarriage of justice.
I do not think my recalcitrance over his immunity endeared me to him. Now that I am not a Prime Minister, he has expressed his delight at saying that I should not criticise anything the present Government does because I was guilty of worse.
I maintain that in the case of Tun Salleh Abbas, I did what was required of me under the Constitution and Malaysia's laws. I consider the suggestion that I should apologise as frivolous, unwarranted and stupid.
If Param or Karpal is not convinced perhaps they should use their considerable knowledge of the law to shut my mouth."
BY Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
"As I had anticipated, my comment on (Minister in the Prime Minister's Department) Dato Zaid Ibrahim's suggestion that the Government should apologise for the action taken against Tun Salleh Abbas would draw accusations against me for my alleged misdeeds during my tenure of office.
I regard this as an attempt to shut my mouth should I find occasion to criticise the present Government. It is always about "You were worse when you headed the Government", even if it is obvious that I had not done badly.
Param Cumaraswamy's letter (The Sun, April 2, 2004) falls in that category. He wants to know why action had not been taken against me over the allegations made by Datuk Shafee Yahya (former director-general of the Anti-Corruption Agency) during the Anwar Ibrahim trial.
The statement may be a sworn testimony in court but the accuracy of it cannot be accepted unquestioned. There were omissions and inferences which mislead.
Counsel was of course interested in proving that Anwar did not inveigle Shafee into doing something wrong. But during the trial it was revealed that he did get a senior police officer to threaten and intimidate his accusers.
I admit to calling up Shafee to ask him about the raid by the ACA on the office of the director of the Economic Planning Unit. I did that because I received a complaint from the director that the ACA had been very offensive towards him during the raid. He also said that he believed the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister had set up the whole thing.
I knew that Government officers were sometimes overzealous and would overstep or abuse their authority.
I could not verify whether there was any truth in what the EPU director said. Accordingly, I called the director of the ACA to find out what actually happened.
I asked many questions, many more than what he said in Court. I also asked him if he had been directed by Datuk Seri Anwar to carry out the raid.
He denied it but he became angry when I asked whether he intended to pursue his investigation. Raising his voice, he accused me of trying to stop him from carrying out his duty. Angrily, he said that he was a senior civil service officer and that I had no right to question him about his work.
I was shocked at his loud accusation against me. No civil servant however senior had spoken to me like that. I was rendered speechless.
These exchanges were carried out in my office. No other person was present. No notes were taken, nor was there any recording at least by me. So only the two of us would know what really happened or was said.
What he said in court is his version. There is nothing to verify what he said nor is there anything to verify what I say now is wrong. It is a case of his words against mine, sworn testimony notwithstanding. He had obviously omitted his shouted accusations against me. Had what he said in court was all that happened, then it would not have taken more than three minutes. But what he said and what I said took longer than three minutes.
I wonder how counsel knew of what happened in the privacy of my office. Even the Chief Secretary, the only person who was informed by Datuk Shafee could not have told counsel. Obviously it was Shafee who volunteered information. Why did he do this?
I was not a party to the trial of Anwar. If I was to be accused, I should at least be heard. But clearly Shafee saw Anwar's trial as an opportunity to make statements detrimental to my reputation.
Shafee was an angry man and what he said in court was opportunistic and seem to reflect his desire to take revenge against me. I can only assume that this was what motivated him, because what he divulged did not help Anwar much. But it did put me in a very bad light.
As to why this case has not been followed, I can only assume that the courts are busy and there are tens of thousands of cases which have yet to be heard. Maybe the fault is with the Attorney-General or Police. I would not know.
Still I welcome any investigation by impartial people as to the truth or otherwise of what I say in this letter.
As for Param Cumarawamy and Karpal Singh, their hatred of me is well known and apparently has not abated even after I am no longer Prime Minister.
Many lawyers were angry with me because I had quoted Shakespeare during a Cabinet meeting which says "the first thing we do, we hang the lawyers". I was only joking but they heard of it and believed I meant what I said. The judges also felt unhappy with me.
Besides I had criticised the judiciary for disregarding the intention or objectives of the laws formulated by the legislative wing but instead interpret them based on the words used. Was I committing a crime for saying this? I was merely stating a fact. Can no one comment on the judiciary at all even when they disregard the interest of the country? In many developed countries it is common for the public to criticise the judiciary.
As for Param, he made libellous remarks about a fellow Malaysian when he was a member of a Untied Nations Commission. He should have been hauled before a Malaysian court but he claimed immunity due to his appointment by the UN.
My stand was that his immunity was only with regard to the specific work for the UN. If he breached Malaysian laws on matters not related to this work, then he cannot plead immunity.
His libellous words against a Malaysian individual had nothing to do with his work for the UN. He should therefore be liable, and his immunity could not be invoked. But he got the UN to back him. It was even hinted that if Malaysia prosecuted him, then our case before the International Court of Justice on the issue of the ownership of Sipadan and Ligitan would be jeopardised.
Accordingly, I agreed that he should not be prosecuted. Luckily it was only libel. Had Param Cumaraswamy murdered a person, and he claimed immunity, then there would indeed be a miscarriage of justice.
I do not think my recalcitrance over his immunity endeared me to him. Now that I am not a Prime Minister, he has expressed his delight at saying that I should not criticise anything the present Government does because I was guilty of worse.
I maintain that in the case of Tun Salleh Abbas, I did what was required of me under the Constitution and Malaysia's laws. I consider the suggestion that I should apologise as frivolous, unwarranted and stupid.
If Param or Karpal is not convinced perhaps they should use their considerable knowledge of the law to shut my mouth."
Monday, March 10, 2008
Mukhriz tells PM: Do the Right Thing
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi faced mounting calls to quit today after his ruling coalition suffered a humiliating setback in elections seen as a referendum on his leadership.
A visibly exhausted Abdullah conceded there was a question mark over his future after the Barisan Nasional coalition turned in its worst ever results Saturday, losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority and four states. Asked if the outcome was a vote of no confidence in his leadership, which has been criticised as weak and ineffective, Abdullah responded: "Maybe. There are a lot of messages from the people." "There is no pressure at this time," he said when asked if he faced calls for him to resign.
But pressure did come, notably from former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who handed over to Abdullah in 2003 after two decades leading the Umno which dominates the Barisan Nasional coalition." My view is he has destroyed Umno, destroyed the BN and he has been responsible for this," Mahathir told reporters. He suggested Abdullah should resign, and admitted he had made a mistake in selecting him as prime minister." I think he should accept responsibility for this. He should accept 100 percent responsibility," he said.
Meanwhile, his son Mukhriz (left), a member of Umno's powerful youth wing who was elected to parliament for first time on the weekend, urged Abdullah to "do the right thing". "It is yet to be seen what he will do but I think it's a very clear message that there is wholesale dissatisfaction with the prime minister for the way he has been running the country these four years," he said." I hope he takes heed of that message and does the right thing," he told AFP. "We need to really do some soul searching."
Very difficult for him to stay on
Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asian expert at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, said it was a "very tense" time for the party as it digested a vote that was a mandate for reform.
"The factions in Umno are already asking for Badawi's resignation and this is a very significant development," said Welsh, who is currently in Malaysia."It's going to be very, very difficult for him to stay in power. The warlords in the system will push him because his administration has failed to address the voters' issues."
Ibrahim Suffian, of the Merdeka Centre research firm, said Abdullah faced a torrid time at Umno party elections later this year if he did not resign.
"There will be some tough questions asked there," he said. Under Umno tradition, Najib is heir apparent to Abdullah and expected to become Malaysia's next prime minister, but Welsh said other contenders could emerge in a leadership battle. Abdullah won 91 percent of parliamentary seats in the 2004 elections, but analysts said he was being punished this time for high inflation, rising crime and mounting ethnic tensions. He has also faced flak for failing to act on election promises to eradicate corruption.
A visibly exhausted Abdullah conceded there was a question mark over his future after the Barisan Nasional coalition turned in its worst ever results Saturday, losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority and four states. Asked if the outcome was a vote of no confidence in his leadership, which has been criticised as weak and ineffective, Abdullah responded: "Maybe. There are a lot of messages from the people." "There is no pressure at this time," he said when asked if he faced calls for him to resign.
But pressure did come, notably from former premier Mahathir Mohamad, who handed over to Abdullah in 2003 after two decades leading the Umno which dominates the Barisan Nasional coalition." My view is he has destroyed Umno, destroyed the BN and he has been responsible for this," Mahathir told reporters. He suggested Abdullah should resign, and admitted he had made a mistake in selecting him as prime minister." I think he should accept responsibility for this. He should accept 100 percent responsibility," he said.
Meanwhile, his son Mukhriz (left), a member of Umno's powerful youth wing who was elected to parliament for first time on the weekend, urged Abdullah to "do the right thing". "It is yet to be seen what he will do but I think it's a very clear message that there is wholesale dissatisfaction with the prime minister for the way he has been running the country these four years," he said." I hope he takes heed of that message and does the right thing," he told AFP. "We need to really do some soul searching."
Very difficult for him to stay on
Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asian expert at Johns Hopkins University in the United States, said it was a "very tense" time for the party as it digested a vote that was a mandate for reform.
"The factions in Umno are already asking for Badawi's resignation and this is a very significant development," said Welsh, who is currently in Malaysia."It's going to be very, very difficult for him to stay in power. The warlords in the system will push him because his administration has failed to address the voters' issues."
Ibrahim Suffian, of the Merdeka Centre research firm, said Abdullah faced a torrid time at Umno party elections later this year if he did not resign.
"There will be some tough questions asked there," he said. Under Umno tradition, Najib is heir apparent to Abdullah and expected to become Malaysia's next prime minister, but Welsh said other contenders could emerge in a leadership battle. Abdullah won 91 percent of parliamentary seats in the 2004 elections, but analysts said he was being punished this time for high inflation, rising crime and mounting ethnic tensions. He has also faced flak for failing to act on election promises to eradicate corruption.
Dr M calls for Pak Lah to resign
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today his successor Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has "destroyed" the ruling coalition after disastrous weekend elections.
Mahathir, who led the ruling Umno which helms the Barisan Nasional coalition for 22 years before stepping down in 2003, lashed out after its worst performance in history.
"My view is he has destroyed Umno, destroyed the BN and he has been responsible for this," Mahathir told reporters.
He suggested Abdullah should resign, and said he had made a mistake in selecting him as prime minister. "I think he should accept responsibility for this. He should accept 100 percent responsibility," he said." I am sorry but I apparently made the wrong choice." Mahathir has previously said he never intended for Abdullah to serve more than one term, and that he should have opted instead for influential Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak who is now leader-in-waiting.
Worst ever result
BN suffered its worst ever result in Saturday's polls, losing its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time since 1969 and conceding four more states to a resurgent opposition. Abdullah was punished over rising crime and inflation in an election also tinged by rising racial tensions between majority Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians.
"I think the people must have been very angry, all the races, Chinese, Malays and Indians," Mahathir said.
"The problem is we (the government) have become so arrogant. We suppress any opinion that we do not like and they begin to believe in their own reports which are not actually consistent with what is happening in the country."
Abdullah was Mahathir's hand-picked successor when he stepped down, but after the new leader dumped several of his pet projects he began launching accusations of economic mismanagement, nepotism and corruption.
Q&A:
Khairy to blame for BN's electoral defeat?
I think his son-in-law played a big role (in the defeat). This young man who has no achievements before but apparently the PM listens to him, said Mahathir at a press conference.
Are you surprised by the results?
Mahathir: I think it’s shocking. Although I expected BN to lose but I did not think that they lost five states. I'm sorry that I made the wrong choice in Pak Lah. I never expected a PM to reverse all the policies of the government. So I think the people on the whole must have been very angry. All the three communities, the Chinese, the Malays and the Indians, have reacted.
Will Tun pressure Pak Lah to resign?
I think he should accept responsibility for this. Just as in 2004, the huge majority, the huge victory was purportedly due to him 100 percent. Now he should accept 100 percent of the responsibility.
What do you mean by taking responsibility?
He has destroyed Umno, destroyed BN.
And he has to be responsible for this terrible defeat.
If he doesn't want to take responsibility, do you think that Umno will do something to make him go?
I think Umno people on the ground are fearful of this man as they have never been before. During my time they would challenge me. Here I was not allowed to speak. I was given invitations to give talk to Umno members but these were withdrawn. They say that the police told them to withdraw it.
When you say ‘step down’, do you mean (from) Umno or PM?
I think he should (step down). The Japanese would have performed ‘hara-kiri’. I think that Najib (Razak) has done very well. He has scored an amazing victory, more than the 2004 elections.
Do you think the timing of the election was a miscalculation?
It can be called a miscalculation but I doubt if they had waited another year, the results would have been any different.What were the issues which led to the loss of the states? Many issues led to the pent-up feelings of the citizens of which despite the economic growth, the people aren't feeling anything. They feel the rise in the cost of living a big factor. They also see that this government is run by one family. When family takes precedence over cabinet, over government, then people will be against it.
Do you think this damage is permanent for BN?
Everything can be reversed if you do things properly. They have been so arrogant that they have suppressed any opinions they don't like and believe in their own reports which are not consistent with what is really happening in the country.
With the opposition making so much inroads in Malaysia, what do you think will happen?
Well, there will be instability for some time. If the opposition is good, they should be able to remedy the situation.
Do you think that Anwar Ibrahim is still relevant?
I think he is relevant but he is not going to become the prime minister of this country.
If you were in Pak Lah's shoes, would you be in a hurry to form the government?
I would take responsibility. If the people want me to resign, I would resign.
After this setback, do you think that Barisan has any hope to remedy this situation?
There is hope. But whether the leaders have the will to repair BN is another question.
Who should succeed Pak Lah?
Najib won by 26,000 votes and this is much more than in 2004 when the BN was very, very popular. On the other hand, Pak Lah - who had a majority of 18,000 before - only has a majority of 11,000 now. The fact is that he lost a number of votes. And there are not many people who have improved (their majority) since 2004. Yes, his son-in-law won but he only won by a small majority, smaller than previously. He was also in a safe seat.
How to cure Umno?
The person responsible should retreat.
If the Malays had not voted for opposition this would not have happened.
Why did the Umno supporters vote for opposition this time?
They feel their situation is under pressure. Inflation is high. Their lives are on the line. The people know that you can say that there is 6 percent growth but where is the 6 percent on their body? They are having to spend more money. I've said this to Malaysiakini. When you say 6 percent, it is an average. This can be achieved by one person having a very high percentage but the rest have nothing. You can't have this sort of figures and expect people to vote for you. The intelligent people would know that this is not correct. Those that don't understand all these figures, rather be guided by what is actually happening to them. What is happening to them is the higher cost of living and a lowering of their standard of living.
Going back to the 1969 elections, after the Alliance had lost, you were one of the main agitators for the prime minister (Tunku Abdul Rahman) to transfer his powers to his deputy (Tun Abdul Razak)
..I am in a dilemma as I'm an Umno member.
Are you the agitator again?
I will voice out my opinion. If people ask, I will give my opinion. And my opinion in this matter is that the person responsible should step down.
Looking at the current BN line-up, do you think that the BN government can manage the economy?
No, I don't think they can manage. Even when they have full force and tons of money at their disposal they have not done anything.
Why?
You have to ask the state leaders.
Penang has fallen to DAP, how do you think this will affect the Malays?
It's not just about Penang. If we want to correct that, we have got Malay leaders, we've got a Malay government and the citizens who are Malay must know how to overcome their problems.
What can veterans like Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) do to help Umno at this juncture?
They can give ideas.
Is it to revolt and cause Pak Lah to resign?
I am not talking about a rebellion but there must be pressure. And if that pressure is ignored by Pak Lah, then this would turn the matter into a heated confrontation.
Do you think that the opposition success is attributed to Anwar?
I don't think it is so. This is more of something against BN than strong support for the opposition.They (voters) have no choice. If you don't vote BN, who do you vote for? There are only two candidates. So you vote for the opposition or you don't vote at all. Either way, the BN was going to lose a lot of support.
People say that Umno is still afraid of Pak Lah. So how can they pressure Pak Lah to step down?
I'm sure that there are some brave members out there.
Are there any alternatives for Pak Lah other than to resign?
I don't see any other alternative. The man that is 100 percent responsible has to show that he is responsible. Some people were saying if BN's two-thirds majority is denied, a repeat of May 13 would take place.
Why won't it happen now?
No I don't think it would happen. In the first place, the police have been very careful, telling people no demonstration and no parades.In 1969, the police gave permission for the opposition to hold a victory parade. And they went to Kampung Baru and started insulting the people there, which caused a reaction. This ended up as a riot. If the police remain strong on these demonstrations and victory parades, I don't think there will be any problems.
Is it time to end racial politics?
I'm going to tell you this (rejection of BN) involves all the races. It's not as if the Chinese reject BN or all the Indians reject BN. Here, you see Chinese, Indian and Malay reject BN except for Sabah and Sarawak.
Umno has retained more seats compared to the other component parties like MIC and MCA. Will they pressure Pak Lah to step down?
That depends on them to whether to apply pressure or not but the Barisan Nasional concept is still relevant. If there is no (MIC chief S) Samy Vellu, then find another Vellu.
Can you comment on Zam (Zainuddin Maidin)?
He won or lost? Oh, he lost. Well, the way he was campaigning was really funny, telling people to look at his face and how it doesn't change. But I think that a face that doesn't change can be very boring. Sometimes you must laugh, sometimes you must cry.He was telling everybody "Ini muka tak bertukar, tak bertukar". Who is interested in his ‘wajah’? If he was Britney Spears, then….
If you had suffered the same defeat, would you have resigned too?
Yes, I would resign if that is the wish of the people.
I've always abided by the wish of the people, so much so that people who were against me were brought back into the cabinet, and that includes Pak Lah, Syed Hamid (Syed Albar), Rais Yatim and (Abdul) Kadir Sheikh Fadzil. All these (leaders) were against me. But when Pak Lah was elected vice-president, I cannot (not appoint him) as he was wanted by Umno. As such I appointed him back into the cabinet.
But you did not resign in 1999?
I did not because we won two-thirds. We won with full Chinese support. Yes, we lost Terengganu and Kelantan but we have always lost Kelantan and Terengganu was for very specific reasons.
Did BN lose because too many people like Samy Vellu had hung on to power too long?
I think that Samy Vellu played a big part in the defeat. When he was in BN, he doesn't allow any of the MIC people to come up to his level. If they come up (to be) deputy or vice-president, he will knock them down and even expel them from the party. And he wouldn't allow any other Indian party to join BN. (MG) Pandithan tried to join, begged me to allow him and I wanted to agree but we have this consensus in BN that if one party doesn't agree we cannot accept them.
Are you surprised by (ISA detainee) M Manoharan's victory?
This has happened before in 1959 or is it 1964, when PAS used to go from village to village carrying the candidate's shoes and he won.
What can you say about the media’s - especially the mainstream ones' - role in this campaign? Do you think that there should be changes there?
There should be changes. They should report what actually happens and make a proper analysis. Before, they were able to feed back to me what was happening on the ground. Maybe, when they talk about races and things like that, I would have to clamp down on them, which I did in 1987.
Should all the bosses of the newspapers resign too?
They have their constraints. Some of them are my friends and supporters too and they apologise say that they can't help. "It's all this Kali. This Kali," they tell me.
Has Umno become irrelevant?
For the moment, yes. It's not always so. If UMNO serves the country well, and looks after all the different races, then UMNO will be relevant again.
What is your comment on the young BN candidates losing?
There is this rumour that some of these candidates are Khairy's and that he wants to be prime minister.
Do you think that other BN component leaders should resign too?
I think that one component leader has already been knocked out. As for Ong Ka Ting, it's up to him. This is a very bad defeat for him and MCA and it's never been this bad before.
Everyone says that PAS and DAP cannot work together but if they don't in Selangor and Perak, they can't form state government. What is your take on this?
If they work together they can form state government. If not, then representatives of Umno - if there are many - can form a minority government. But it will be a shaky government.
Are you sad with the results?
Yes, I am although I had hoped that a message would be sent to the government.
Will you return to active politics?
I won't return to active politics but if they want advice, I can give them. How can I return when once I stepped down they treated me like a pariah?
Mahathir, who led the ruling Umno which helms the Barisan Nasional coalition for 22 years before stepping down in 2003, lashed out after its worst performance in history.
"My view is he has destroyed Umno, destroyed the BN and he has been responsible for this," Mahathir told reporters.
He suggested Abdullah should resign, and said he had made a mistake in selecting him as prime minister. "I think he should accept responsibility for this. He should accept 100 percent responsibility," he said." I am sorry but I apparently made the wrong choice." Mahathir has previously said he never intended for Abdullah to serve more than one term, and that he should have opted instead for influential Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak who is now leader-in-waiting.
Worst ever result
BN suffered its worst ever result in Saturday's polls, losing its two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time since 1969 and conceding four more states to a resurgent opposition. Abdullah was punished over rising crime and inflation in an election also tinged by rising racial tensions between majority Muslim Malays and minority ethnic Chinese and Indians.
"I think the people must have been very angry, all the races, Chinese, Malays and Indians," Mahathir said.
"The problem is we (the government) have become so arrogant. We suppress any opinion that we do not like and they begin to believe in their own reports which are not actually consistent with what is happening in the country."
Abdullah was Mahathir's hand-picked successor when he stepped down, but after the new leader dumped several of his pet projects he began launching accusations of economic mismanagement, nepotism and corruption.
Q&A:
Khairy to blame for BN's electoral defeat?
I think his son-in-law played a big role (in the defeat). This young man who has no achievements before but apparently the PM listens to him, said Mahathir at a press conference.
Are you surprised by the results?
Mahathir: I think it’s shocking. Although I expected BN to lose but I did not think that they lost five states. I'm sorry that I made the wrong choice in Pak Lah. I never expected a PM to reverse all the policies of the government. So I think the people on the whole must have been very angry. All the three communities, the Chinese, the Malays and the Indians, have reacted.
Will Tun pressure Pak Lah to resign?
I think he should accept responsibility for this. Just as in 2004, the huge majority, the huge victory was purportedly due to him 100 percent. Now he should accept 100 percent of the responsibility.
What do you mean by taking responsibility?
He has destroyed Umno, destroyed BN.
And he has to be responsible for this terrible defeat.
If he doesn't want to take responsibility, do you think that Umno will do something to make him go?
I think Umno people on the ground are fearful of this man as they have never been before. During my time they would challenge me. Here I was not allowed to speak. I was given invitations to give talk to Umno members but these were withdrawn. They say that the police told them to withdraw it.
When you say ‘step down’, do you mean (from) Umno or PM?
I think he should (step down). The Japanese would have performed ‘hara-kiri’. I think that Najib (Razak) has done very well. He has scored an amazing victory, more than the 2004 elections.
Do you think the timing of the election was a miscalculation?
It can be called a miscalculation but I doubt if they had waited another year, the results would have been any different.What were the issues which led to the loss of the states? Many issues led to the pent-up feelings of the citizens of which despite the economic growth, the people aren't feeling anything. They feel the rise in the cost of living a big factor. They also see that this government is run by one family. When family takes precedence over cabinet, over government, then people will be against it.
Do you think this damage is permanent for BN?
Everything can be reversed if you do things properly. They have been so arrogant that they have suppressed any opinions they don't like and believe in their own reports which are not consistent with what is really happening in the country.
With the opposition making so much inroads in Malaysia, what do you think will happen?
Well, there will be instability for some time. If the opposition is good, they should be able to remedy the situation.
Do you think that Anwar Ibrahim is still relevant?
I think he is relevant but he is not going to become the prime minister of this country.
If you were in Pak Lah's shoes, would you be in a hurry to form the government?
I would take responsibility. If the people want me to resign, I would resign.
After this setback, do you think that Barisan has any hope to remedy this situation?
There is hope. But whether the leaders have the will to repair BN is another question.
Who should succeed Pak Lah?
Najib won by 26,000 votes and this is much more than in 2004 when the BN was very, very popular. On the other hand, Pak Lah - who had a majority of 18,000 before - only has a majority of 11,000 now. The fact is that he lost a number of votes. And there are not many people who have improved (their majority) since 2004. Yes, his son-in-law won but he only won by a small majority, smaller than previously. He was also in a safe seat.
How to cure Umno?
The person responsible should retreat.
If the Malays had not voted for opposition this would not have happened.
Why did the Umno supporters vote for opposition this time?
They feel their situation is under pressure. Inflation is high. Their lives are on the line. The people know that you can say that there is 6 percent growth but where is the 6 percent on their body? They are having to spend more money. I've said this to Malaysiakini. When you say 6 percent, it is an average. This can be achieved by one person having a very high percentage but the rest have nothing. You can't have this sort of figures and expect people to vote for you. The intelligent people would know that this is not correct. Those that don't understand all these figures, rather be guided by what is actually happening to them. What is happening to them is the higher cost of living and a lowering of their standard of living.
Going back to the 1969 elections, after the Alliance had lost, you were one of the main agitators for the prime minister (Tunku Abdul Rahman) to transfer his powers to his deputy (Tun Abdul Razak)
..I am in a dilemma as I'm an Umno member.
Are you the agitator again?
I will voice out my opinion. If people ask, I will give my opinion. And my opinion in this matter is that the person responsible should step down.
Looking at the current BN line-up, do you think that the BN government can manage the economy?
No, I don't think they can manage. Even when they have full force and tons of money at their disposal they have not done anything.
Why?
You have to ask the state leaders.
Penang has fallen to DAP, how do you think this will affect the Malays?
It's not just about Penang. If we want to correct that, we have got Malay leaders, we've got a Malay government and the citizens who are Malay must know how to overcome their problems.
What can veterans like Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) do to help Umno at this juncture?
They can give ideas.
Is it to revolt and cause Pak Lah to resign?
I am not talking about a rebellion but there must be pressure. And if that pressure is ignored by Pak Lah, then this would turn the matter into a heated confrontation.
Do you think that the opposition success is attributed to Anwar?
I don't think it is so. This is more of something against BN than strong support for the opposition.They (voters) have no choice. If you don't vote BN, who do you vote for? There are only two candidates. So you vote for the opposition or you don't vote at all. Either way, the BN was going to lose a lot of support.
People say that Umno is still afraid of Pak Lah. So how can they pressure Pak Lah to step down?
I'm sure that there are some brave members out there.
Are there any alternatives for Pak Lah other than to resign?
I don't see any other alternative. The man that is 100 percent responsible has to show that he is responsible. Some people were saying if BN's two-thirds majority is denied, a repeat of May 13 would take place.
Why won't it happen now?
No I don't think it would happen. In the first place, the police have been very careful, telling people no demonstration and no parades.In 1969, the police gave permission for the opposition to hold a victory parade. And they went to Kampung Baru and started insulting the people there, which caused a reaction. This ended up as a riot. If the police remain strong on these demonstrations and victory parades, I don't think there will be any problems.
Is it time to end racial politics?
I'm going to tell you this (rejection of BN) involves all the races. It's not as if the Chinese reject BN or all the Indians reject BN. Here, you see Chinese, Indian and Malay reject BN except for Sabah and Sarawak.
Umno has retained more seats compared to the other component parties like MIC and MCA. Will they pressure Pak Lah to step down?
That depends on them to whether to apply pressure or not but the Barisan Nasional concept is still relevant. If there is no (MIC chief S) Samy Vellu, then find another Vellu.
Can you comment on Zam (Zainuddin Maidin)?
He won or lost? Oh, he lost. Well, the way he was campaigning was really funny, telling people to look at his face and how it doesn't change. But I think that a face that doesn't change can be very boring. Sometimes you must laugh, sometimes you must cry.He was telling everybody "Ini muka tak bertukar, tak bertukar". Who is interested in his ‘wajah’? If he was Britney Spears, then….
If you had suffered the same defeat, would you have resigned too?
Yes, I would resign if that is the wish of the people.
I've always abided by the wish of the people, so much so that people who were against me were brought back into the cabinet, and that includes Pak Lah, Syed Hamid (Syed Albar), Rais Yatim and (Abdul) Kadir Sheikh Fadzil. All these (leaders) were against me. But when Pak Lah was elected vice-president, I cannot (not appoint him) as he was wanted by Umno. As such I appointed him back into the cabinet.
But you did not resign in 1999?
I did not because we won two-thirds. We won with full Chinese support. Yes, we lost Terengganu and Kelantan but we have always lost Kelantan and Terengganu was for very specific reasons.
Did BN lose because too many people like Samy Vellu had hung on to power too long?
I think that Samy Vellu played a big part in the defeat. When he was in BN, he doesn't allow any of the MIC people to come up to his level. If they come up (to be) deputy or vice-president, he will knock them down and even expel them from the party. And he wouldn't allow any other Indian party to join BN. (MG) Pandithan tried to join, begged me to allow him and I wanted to agree but we have this consensus in BN that if one party doesn't agree we cannot accept them.
Are you surprised by (ISA detainee) M Manoharan's victory?
This has happened before in 1959 or is it 1964, when PAS used to go from village to village carrying the candidate's shoes and he won.
What can you say about the media’s - especially the mainstream ones' - role in this campaign? Do you think that there should be changes there?
There should be changes. They should report what actually happens and make a proper analysis. Before, they were able to feed back to me what was happening on the ground. Maybe, when they talk about races and things like that, I would have to clamp down on them, which I did in 1987.
Should all the bosses of the newspapers resign too?
They have their constraints. Some of them are my friends and supporters too and they apologise say that they can't help. "It's all this Kali. This Kali," they tell me.
Has Umno become irrelevant?
For the moment, yes. It's not always so. If UMNO serves the country well, and looks after all the different races, then UMNO will be relevant again.
What is your comment on the young BN candidates losing?
There is this rumour that some of these candidates are Khairy's and that he wants to be prime minister.
Do you think that other BN component leaders should resign too?
I think that one component leader has already been knocked out. As for Ong Ka Ting, it's up to him. This is a very bad defeat for him and MCA and it's never been this bad before.
Everyone says that PAS and DAP cannot work together but if they don't in Selangor and Perak, they can't form state government. What is your take on this?
If they work together they can form state government. If not, then representatives of Umno - if there are many - can form a minority government. But it will be a shaky government.
Are you sad with the results?
Yes, I am although I had hoped that a message would be sent to the government.
Will you return to active politics?
I won't return to active politics but if they want advice, I can give them. How can I return when once I stepped down they treated me like a pariah?
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Why vote?
"You deserves the Government that you get IF YOU DON'T SPEAK UP".
Tun Dr. Mahathir - 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia
Tun Dr. Mahathir - 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
