A wimp cries

In the not too distant past, a politician in the upper echelons was unceremoniously removed, shamed, degraded, beaten and imprisoned. Then too, many leaders in Umno had toed the line, remained silent or lent their voices to the chorus of assailment.

And now, the architect of that poignant episode, which served as the impetus for the events that changed the Malaysian political landscape, has a front row seat to witness a similar scene unfold.

This time, it is his son who has been forced out of power while those in Umno continued to remain aphonic. Therein lies the problem with Dr Mahathir Mohamad - it is difficult to feel sympathy for a man who exhibited little or no compassion in deposing his political foe. Whenever the former premier points a finger at another accusing him of being unjust or abusing his position, he has four pointing back at him.

One wonders if Mahathir is reflecting on his past deeds at this juncture, and coming to terms with how over the decades, fate had dictated that he transforms from invincible to vulnerable.
Then again, he is a politician to the core, one through whose veins course the art of Machiavelli, where statecraft is managed with cunning shrewdness.

Same strategies

And now, his successors are employing the same strategies to retain their grip on power. He has taught them well. While he might be suffering from amnesiac spells that have disconnected his medial temporal lobe responsible for storing memories, the people, however, have not forgotten.

Hence, it came as no surprise that when a photograph depicting Mahathir’s wife embracing their son following his forced resignation as menteri besar circulated on social media, some expressed sadness and sympathy, others recalled certain incidents during his tenure. Furthermore, Mukhriz Mahathir is not Anwar Ibrahim. Charlatan or otherwise, the latter is perhaps the most courageous politician to have emerged from the Umno ranks in recent times.

And it is ironic that his detractors with lesser testicular fortitude continue to harp on his real or fabricated sexual orientation to disparage his manhood. Mukhriz, on the other hand, is nothing more than his father’s son. He ascended the political hierarchy due to his surname, which opened doors without effort on his part. The son of the former premier is not a fighter. He would not want to risk landing in prison or taking to the streets, let alone being dealt a black eye.

However, Mahathir’s adversaries would be committing a fatal error in believing that the move against his son would bring the nonagenarian to his knees. They have struck him where it hurts most. Mahathir is a predator, and such creatures are most ferocious when wounded.

The killer instinct does not mellow with age. And the wound inflicted has left his heart bleeding. If at all Mahathir was on the brink of relenting and ending his campaign to remove the current prime minister, the ouster of his son would renew his zeal for blood.