Pak Lah vs. Mahathir

Tun Mahathir and his wife are leaving UMNO. The latest "scare" in Malaysia's political scene. It is Tun's latest ultimatum for the resignation of our PM. So what is Malaysia supposed to make of this? Hmm...

I've been brought up by a mother who is major propagator of Malay rights and heritage thus at this time of political confusion within the strongest Malay political group in Malaysia, my ears are constantly bombarded by my mother's view of how Tun is embarassing the Malays and this is the chance that the other races in Malaysia would take advantage of in order to gain political control of this country. Yeah... pretty strong views for a high school principle don't you think?

So where do I stand in this political turmoil? Do I mirror my mother's sentiments? Should I?

Out of all the Prime Ministers of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir has always been the one that I have most looked up to. But would the stepping down of Pak Lah change anything at the moment? Would his leaving UMNO actually leave a lasting impact on the party itself?

I must admit that UMNO's loss of the 2/3 majority in the latest elections should be a blow to all hardcore UMNO supporters but to think about it... wouldn't it be a good wake up call for our Barisan leaders. They've been in power for so long that it is very likely most of them have become complacent. I for one, rejoice over the fact that Samyvellu lost. It's about time new blood were brought into the political scene. It would be interesting to see what changes would be brought by the non-Barisan parties.

A good strategist knows that one of the best weapon in a conflict is patience. Waiting for the right time with the right strategy is truly essential in ensuring a lasting victory. In my opinion if UMNO and Barisan truly want to take back their 2/3 majority power in the future, they should use the next 5 years before the next elections to come up with a new strategy of winning and learn from their mistakes. Pak Lah has to step up. Malaysians are not stupid. Loyalty to one's race and ideologies is one thing, but that is no longer the key factor in ensuring a win in an election. So open your eyes Barisan.

In a way, this ultimatum given by Tun Dr. Mahathir may be a good thing. Maybe it'll scare Pak Lah and the rest of the UMNO cohorts to actually step up their game in order to prove to Tun that they can actually do well even without his support. Come on Pak Lah... you can do it!! Show the world what you're made of!