Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has become the No. 1 campaigner for Umno/Barisan Nasional in the 13GE, even putting the Prime Minister/Umno President Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the shadows, as if Mahathir is fighting for his own political life.
This may in fact be the true picture, as the 13GE is not only a “life-and-death” battle for the Najib premiership, it is shaping up to be a “life-and-death” struggle for the 22-year Mahathir legacy.
This is why Mahathir has become the “campaigner extraordinaire” in the 13GE, and I don’t think he has ever campaigned as hard for Umno/BN even in the five general elections he had led as Prime Minister, namely the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1999 general elections, spanning two decades.
Mahathir is fully within his rights to campaign all-out to protect the 22-year Mahathir legacy, but he must always act as a responsible “elder statesman” and not succumb to cheap and irresponsible tactics as race-baiting and inciting communal sentiments which is completely antithetical to his concept of Bangsa Malaysia in Vision 2020.
I deplore in the strongest possible terms his baseless accusation that my “move to Gelang Patah was to create racial disharmony among Malays and Chinese” and that “By inciting racial conflict, Kit Siang wants the Chinese to vote for DAP.”
It is most unworthy of the fourth Prime Minister of 22-years to make such a wild, baseless, irresponsible and racist allegation.
I had said publicly in the DAP ceramahs in Gelang Patah that I want to win in Gelang Patah, not just on Chinese votes but also on Malay and Indian votes as well.
In fact, I had called on the Gelang Patah voters to vote as Malaysians, and not as Chinese, Malay or Chinese voters in pursuit of the Malaysian Dream of a united citizenry which was articulated by the great Johore Malay leader Datuk Onn Jaafar 61 years ago when the founding UMNO President proposed that UMNO should open it doors to non-Malays and that UMNO change its name to United Malayan National Organisation.
Although Onn was too ahead of his time, the Malaysian Dream remains alive in the hearts and minds of Malaysians down the decades, and the 13th General Election in 2013 on the 56th year of our nationhood, it is an appropriate juncture in the nation-building process to begin to realise the Malaysian Dream of a united multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious Malaysian people committed to the common goal to build a free, democratic, progressive and prosperous nation for all Malaysian citizens.
Mahathir should be a responsible “elder statesman” and stop race-baiting and inciting communal sentiments which is completely antithetical to his concept of Bangsa Malaysia in Vision 2020.
Media conference statement by Lim Kit Siang after visiting Pasar Peladang Skudai with Johor DAP State Chairman Dr. Boo Cheng How, Perak DAP State Chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham and former Perak State Assembly Speaker Siva Kumar on Tuesday 9th April 2013 at 10 am
Since when was Mahatir a statesman? He was always a gutter politician who will resort the basest of means to win votes.
Current UMNO is not the Malaysia 1st Prime Minister UMNO
Current UMNO is Mama UMNO…UMNO BARU pretend to be UMNO to deceive Malaysian
This Mama is an enemy of Malaysia 1st Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman
VOTE PR. vote BarisanNajis OUT
Bury Mahathirism through GE13!
What are mahathir’s legacy? Corruption, abuse of power, racist policies, religious extreme…?
If not because his legacies why change?
GE 13 in reality is election about his legacy.
The old chief sucker sucks here and there as to show off he is damn smart… The smartest man in the world, sucker?
When are we going to get rid of this old Dog..he is peeing , for his days are numbered and may end up in Sungai Buloh
BN will win, u guy better be prepared to swallow your own word
This Mamak has been working overtime lately to sow the seeds of disharmony among the various races in the country. A few days ago, Malaysiakini reported that he said the country would be saved if there were more people like Perkasa’s katak Ali and not long ago, he likened the indiscriminate granting of citizenship to illegal immigrants in Sabah to the granting of 1 million citizenship to ethnic Chinese and Indians just before independence. When he was the PM, I still had respect for him. Now this respect has turned into contempt. He has drifted further and further away from God.
This election is not so much about Najib or Umno. It is about Mahathir and his 22 year legacy. For UMNO to change and for the betterment of the Rakyat and well-beings of the country, Mahathir and the likes of his ilks must be stopped. He has done enough of damages to the country.
Mahathir was always going to be one of major, if not THE MAJOR, front of this GE. It was seen coming already back as far back as a year ago.
Given that, Mahathir was always going to turn on the malice and abuse that really was the other side of the duality of his administration – the side that grew bigger over time and its the reason why we have this pivotal DECISION 2013.
So to expect Mahathir Mr. Hyde or Frankenstein not to show itself in, hopefully, the final battle, is not even really realistic.
Its clear that its highly probable it seems that we are going to end this final scene in Johor. Its building to be a cresendo..A drama fit for big screen – a Lucasfilm classic no less? Anwar is Lucas Skywalker, LKS, Hans Solo?
This election is about Malaysians maturing and creating a 2-party system so that we can have a better check and balance.
Let us do it in the 13th GE so that we can avoid the fate of other nations when people had to demonstrate to bring down corrupt regimes.