Dr M, Mukhriz & UMNO dissdents launch attack on PM Abdullah

Kuala Lumpur 1st April 2008. Sources AP & REUTERS

Malaysia's former Mahathir Mohamad, (at left) who was PM of Malaysia for over 22 years before handing power to Abdullah in 2003. has urged his UMNO compatriots to openly rebel against the present prime minister after massive losses in general elections plunged the ruling party into its worst ever crisis.

Approximately 2,000 United Malays National Organization (UMNO) members attended to hear Dr Mahathir and his son Mukhriz speak at a local hotel conference centre, in what was the biggest display of defiance to date against the UMNO President , and present PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The meeting was called to analyse the historic massive losses suffered by Abdullah's Barisan Nasional (BN), which is the UMNO controlled National Front coalition, in the general elections, which were held on 8th March 2008..

Today's meeting turned into an open session which bitterly criticized Abdullah, who is seeing his tentative hold on power progressively weaken more and more, he however still insists he has the full support of UMNO and the other BN member political parties.

"I call on him to resign. Anyone else would have done so already, but he is shameless," Mahathir said. "If he waits until the party is totally destroyed, it would be useless."
Mahathir accused Abdullah (left) of failing to curb unbridled corruption, nepotism and cronyism.

He also referred repeatedly to Abdullah's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, better known as KJ, who is believed to wield huge influence on the PM, and some UMNO / BN members.

Mahathir is now an ordinary party member, but he still has considerable influence, and his criticism will likely be relished the party's grass-roots workers.

"We have reached a crossroads. There is something very wrong with our leadership, which is Abdullah Ahmad Badawi," Matahir's son Mukhriz (left) said to a huge round of applause.

The open show of defiance, criticism and outright anger is a clearly a sign of the deep crisis in UMNO and BN coalition which are reeling from their worst electoral result ever.

The BN coalition lost five of Malaysia's 13 states and its cherished two-thirds majority in parliament for the first time since 1969, even then they only lost it briefly before introducing a state of emergency; UMNO / BN had changed the Malaysia Constitution and Laws willy nilly as and when they deem fit, this happened regularly in the past 50 years since independence from the British.

See what was reported in the Straits Times of Singapore HERE

A bove majori discit arare minor

- The young ox learns to plough from the older

Muhkriz 8 - UMNO Youth 0

OИMU

Not only upside down, but arse-about-face and fading rapidly

A Shaken UMNO Youth lets Muhkriz off the hook for asking PM to resign

What else could they do?

To punish him would have been political suicide for UMNO, they had not the courage of their convictions, so they took the easy, or maybe more correctly, they took the only way out!

The weakened ruling party of Malaysia UMNO’s youth wing said on Tuesday, 18^th March 2008 it would not punish the son of former premier Mahathir Mohammad for writing a letter, which was leaked to the media, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

A defiant Mukhriz Mahathir stood by his call for Abdullah to go after the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) deliberated over whether to take action against him.

Mukhriz said “I have made my stand clearly before this and I have not changed my mind”

Abdullah has been under pressure to quit since his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition took a heavy beating in the 8^th March polls, conceding four states and over one third of parliamentary seats in unprecedented losses.

Mukhriz wrote to Abdullah recently calling on him to stand down; this was the first open sign of revolt within UMNO.

“We have decided not to take action against him,” said Hishamuddin Hussein, the kris waving hot head chief of the party's youth wing, of which Mukhriz is an executive council member.

“We need our party to be strong,” Hishamuddin said at the end of a meeting regarding Mukhriz's letter to the PM.

Mukhriz had told the closed-door meeting that his views were those of the public and Hishamuddin said “He felt there was nothing wrong with Mukhriz expressing his views”.

“If we don't change and we still remain in a denial mode there is a possibility that we will become irrelevant,” Hishamuddin said, referring to calls within the party for real reform after the election debacle.

I thought that UMNO is already irrelevant!

Mahathir Mohamad, has also pushed for Abdullah to step down, accusing him of 'destroying' the ruling coalition and UMNO, and saying he regretted selecting him for the top job when he (Mahathir) stood down in 2003.

Abdullah, has repeatedly refused to stand down.

We live in interesting times!

UMNO: A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi! - A precipice in front, wolves behind!

STEP DOWN PM, LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, TWO Ms IN A POD

After the alliance suffered heavy losses in 1969 Mahathir Mohamad wrote a strong letter to the then Prime Minister.

Barisan Nasional received a similar stunning defeat in the recent GE.

Now, 39 years on Mahathir’s son also writes a no-holds-barred epistle to the PM.

Mukhriz Mahathir has called for Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to resign after the ruling coalition’s unprecedented election losses.

Thus far he is the most high profile member of UMNO to have openly demanded Abdullah’s resignation.

Mukhriz’s letter to the PM was written in Bahasa Malaysia, below is a translation of it into English

"12th March 2008

Dato’ Seri,

Let me take this opportunity to thank you and the party’s leadership for the faith in me and the chance to contest in Jerlun as a Barisan Nasional candidate. With the blessing and hard work of the party’s leadership and machinery as well as the people of Jerlun, I have won the elections and am now a new Member of Parliament.

However, sadly enough, my victory is rendered meaningless in view of the defeat that Umno and the Kedah BN suffered in the hands of the opposition. Apart form Kedah, four other states as well as the Federal Territories also received similar humiliation in defeat.

In fact your own state of Penang was wrested by the DAP from the BN. Kelantan is again under Pas rules. In other states, the BN also suffered a similar humiliation when the level of BN support by the people has tremendously reduced. This, Datuk Seri, has never happened in the history of BN rule.

The sole intention of my letter to you is meant to save Umno and BN from being rejected further by the people and from being no longer relevant to our religion, race and nation.

Dato’ Seri, the people are unhappy and the message from them is very clear, and that is they have rejected you as the nation’s chief executive.

Contrary to your claim that you still have the support of Umno and other component parties, the reality is that even our own party members had reneged in their voting pattern by supporting the Opposition and inflicting the BN its defeat.

Dato’ Seri, when the people held street demonstrations you openly dared them to resort to the ballot boxes to demonstrate.

They took your challenge by coming out, especially tho people in the Peninsular, and they demonstrated their feelings by voting us out at the BN at State and Parliament levels.

It is therefore clear that your leadership and your handling of the issues faced by the people and the nation are no longer accepted. Let’s not deny the truth just for the sake of keeping your seat as Prime Minister.

For the love of this country and the people, I beg that you take responsibility for the defeat. We can save Umno, the BN and the nation only if you relinquish your positions as Prime Minister and the President of Umno.

Dato’ Seri, I hope you will understand that I make this plea with the intention of salvaging a very dire situation. A move has been made to woo the BN representatives to join the Opposition. The enemy needs just 35 seats more to topple the government of your leadership.

If you do not resign in the near future, I fear that the situation will become untenable and that the Malay support for Umno and BN will be a thing of the past.

This plea I make without malice, and I am aware that your reaction and that of other Umno members could very well be hostile.

But come what may, I am prepared, for the sake of the Malays and Umno, to face the consequences of my action. With all humility, I leave my fate to Allah SWT.

Dato’ Seri, I am sure that you will do the right thing for the sake of the people and the nation. May Allah SWT bless you for the sacrifice you make by stepping down.

Wasallam

Yours Sincerely

Mukhriz Mahathir
Member of Parliament, Jerlun"

Commodum ex iniuria sua nemo habere debet
- No person ought to have advantage from his own wrong