While the former Malaysian Prime Minister has been out of power, he has support of the cadres
Malaysia could be in for weeks and months of political turmoil,
instability and uncertainty about its future. For a long time, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed has been criticising his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The war of words between the two has now resulted in a vertical split, with the 82-year-old Mahathri Mohamed quitting the ruling alliance United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). While resigning, Mohamed has levelled serious charges of incompetence, corruption and nepotism against Badawi. Analysts expect many members of UMNO to follow Mohamed and leave. This could jeopardise the future of UMNO that has been ruling Malaysia ever since the nation attained independence in 1957.
Mahathir has been waging a war of words against Abdullah for more than two years, repeatedly asking fellow party members to revolt against the alleged misrule of Badawi. It would now appear that Mahathir has finally burnt his boats with the political party which he ran with an iron fist for the 22 years that he served as Prime Minister of Malaysia. Of course, many senior leaders of UMNO think that the days of the 82-year-old leader calling the shots have gone. According to senior leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the abrupt departure of Mohamed will hardly have any impact on the fortunes of the ruling alliance as he believes Mahathir Mohamed is a spent force who is acting petulantly because Badawi refuses to let Mohamed dictate terms.
Yet, Badawi and his associates will not find it easy to write off the ageing war horse. Mahathir Mohamed still enjoys the respect and admiration of many Malaysians who credit him for transforming the country from a poor, third world nation into a modern and prosperous economy. Many fondly recall the role played by the former Prime Minister during the East Asian financial crisis and melt down of 1997. Thanks to pragmatic steps taken by him, Malaysia and its citizens were the least affected by the crisis.
Some of Mahathir''s allegations of economic mismanagement have resonated with the Malaysian public as inflation rises. Besides, Badawi''s public campaign against corruption has not shown any dramatic successes. His promise to fight corruption has shown few results. Although he has been out of power for six years, Mahathir is believed to control as much as half the party at the division levels. Speculation is rife that he would form a new ethnic political party. Taking members of Parliament out of UMNO, the lead party in the ruling national coalition, would cut its 140-82 seat majority by an as-yet undetermined number. This could well spell the end of the coalition, which has ruled Malaysia for five decades.
Much of the antipathy within UMNO is directed against Prime Minister Badawi’s son-in-law, Kairy Jamiluddin, who it is believed has too much influence over Badawi. Kairy is seen as a de facto power, interfering in the day-to-day running of the country''s administration. Others say he is obsessed with placing too many of his own people in positions of power. Political stability is important for Malaysia because it remains one of few Muslim majority countries where al-Qaeda has been unable to spread its ideology of hatred. However, analysts now worry that prolonged political instability and citizen anger against the Badawi regime could just open the door for Islamic fundamentalists to spread wings.
Malaysia could be in for weeks and months of political turmoil,
instability and uncertainty about its future. For a long time, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed has been criticising his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The war of words between the two has now resulted in a vertical split, with the 82-year-old Mahathri Mohamed quitting the ruling alliance United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). While resigning, Mohamed has levelled serious charges of incompetence, corruption and nepotism against Badawi. Analysts expect many members of UMNO to follow Mohamed and leave. This could jeopardise the future of UMNO that has been ruling Malaysia ever since the nation attained independence in 1957.Mahathir has been waging a war of words against Abdullah for more than two years, repeatedly asking fellow party members to revolt against the alleged misrule of Badawi. It would now appear that Mahathir has finally burnt his boats with the political party which he ran with an iron fist for the 22 years that he served as Prime Minister of Malaysia. Of course, many senior leaders of UMNO think that the days of the 82-year-old leader calling the shots have gone. According to senior leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the abrupt departure of Mohamed will hardly have any impact on the fortunes of the ruling alliance as he believes Mahathir Mohamed is a spent force who is acting petulantly because Badawi refuses to let Mohamed dictate terms.
Yet, Badawi and his associates will not find it easy to write off the ageing war horse. Mahathir Mohamed still enjoys the respect and admiration of many Malaysians who credit him for transforming the country from a poor, third world nation into a modern and prosperous economy. Many fondly recall the role played by the former Prime Minister during the East Asian financial crisis and melt down of 1997. Thanks to pragmatic steps taken by him, Malaysia and its citizens were the least affected by the crisis.
Some of Mahathir''s allegations of economic mismanagement have resonated with the Malaysian public as inflation rises. Besides, Badawi''s public campaign against corruption has not shown any dramatic successes. His promise to fight corruption has shown few results. Although he has been out of power for six years, Mahathir is believed to control as much as half the party at the division levels. Speculation is rife that he would form a new ethnic political party. Taking members of Parliament out of UMNO, the lead party in the ruling national coalition, would cut its 140-82 seat majority by an as-yet undetermined number. This could well spell the end of the coalition, which has ruled Malaysia for five decades.
Much of the antipathy within UMNO is directed against Prime Minister Badawi’s son-in-law, Kairy Jamiluddin, who it is believed has too much influence over Badawi. Kairy is seen as a de facto power, interfering in the day-to-day running of the country''s administration. Others say he is obsessed with placing too many of his own people in positions of power. Political stability is important for Malaysia because it remains one of few Muslim majority countries where al-Qaeda has been unable to spread its ideology of hatred. However, analysts now worry that prolonged political instability and citizen anger against the Badawi regime could just open the door for Islamic fundamentalists to spread wings.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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