Snap Election Is A Long Planned Mahathir Option

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It was Wednesday, May 15 2018.

Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim was pardonend by Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V and released from prison. After an audience with Agong in the day time, he attended a political rally at Padang Timor Petaling Jaya at night.

An estimated 10,000 attended but it is not his usual number of audience. It was a rush job and furthermore, the next day Muslims begin fasting for Ramadhan. Malays tend to refrain from politics during the holy month. 

There was nothing significant in the speech. The usual pleasantaries  and complimentaries, including an odd one for Tun Dr Mahathir.

Almost all the winning Pakatan Harapan leaders were there, except Mahathir.  In place is Tan Sri Muhyiddin and perhaps token representation from PPBM.  More so, he is known to befriend Anwar since student days at University of Malaya.

Mahathir was elsewhere at that same moment.

Hurdled at his home, Mahathir was in discussion with Daim and five other worried faces, including one of his loyal media officer. Over the years since the late 90s reformasi movement, all had prominent roles.

As he listened, each vented out their their thoughts and view on the prospect of a freed Anwar. They anticipated he will soon get one PKR MP to vacate an easy seat for him to run for and win as MP seat. Two years is not a long time and it will pass off swiftly before it is his turn to takeover as Prime Minister.

Though Dato Saifuddin Abdullah acknowledged no specific schedule was mentioned for the transition as it will be agreed between Mahathir and Anwar, two years was the period agreed by  Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council for him to carryout the promise to "Selamatkan Malaysia" so the claim.

Anwar has never been modest of his lifelong ambition to be Prime Minister. To any mortals, one prion sentence would have end their career. But not Anwar.

The bigger worry is Mahathir's premiership this time is not backed by two third majority, but only 13 seats in Parliament. His premiership is dependent on the substantially more seats held by DAP and PKR.

If he get all BN MPs to jump to PPBM, he could get more than each of them, but the numbers is not enough and it is not politically feasible. Mahathir's list of those he do not want to be associated with is a hindrance itself.

The former BN Sarawak formed their own coalition GBS. So do some of the former BN Sabah MPs that formed part of Gabungan Sabah with Jeffrey Kitingan and seemed more as a platform for Christian political interest in Sabah.

Count them out.

If Mahathir could get people to jump over to to PPBM side, Anwar could do the same. He seemed unstoppable and destined for PM#8. Already holding the world's longest PM-in-waiting, Anwar have no intention to get by-passed at the finishing line again.

Not only he is trying hard to be patience, so do his foreign backer. .

As usual, Mahathir will go around room to allow each to express their opinion, except perhaps the media officer. There were more worried voices and frustration expressed from the decades of fighting Anwar than suggestion or strategy.

However, no mention of any blame towards Mahathir for being in bed with the devil. It would have been expressed had he still remain an ex-PM, but he is not back as PM. 

One of those present had once openly acknowledged himself as an UMNO man and has no issue with Najib flicking few millions here and there to finance politics.

In the days of reformasi, he had a prominent role. So he stood by Mahathir out of his feudel blind loyalty to the son of a Kerala born immigrant. Inside, there could be a sense of regret to what happened, but not expressed.

Mahathir listen attentively to their grouses and when all had their say, he acknowledged their concern, rambled few comments, and at the end, he murmered, "Susah-susah bubaq saja ...(If it gets difficult, call for a snap election).

The possibility of a snap election was the buzz for quite a while.

Dato Mat Hasan, UMNO's Acting President and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has talked about it. Both these leaders did not plucked it from the air. One or both may have been told casually by Mahathir or his dealmaker.

In Sandakan, Lim Kit Siang refuted the possibility of a snap election. He challenged Mat Hasan for him to quit his UMNO acting Prersidency in the event of no snap election and himself in the event there is one. No time line given.

However, it is all Kit Siang's style of political macho talk to quash the subject.


During Ramadhan, he met and uttered the D word for  Mahathir to announce his transition plan. Lim Kit Siang with an entourage of five including Tony Pua. Lim Guan Eng and Liew Chin Tong (iffy as he is now seen as threat by father's son) paid Mahathir a visit at home on the weekeend of May 8-9.

The whispering on the meeting went viraled the following Tuesday. Anwar told Berita Harian and got reported the next day, Wednesday that the his date as appointment as Prime Minister is being worked out albeit b DAP.

The polite words said was for Mahathir to announce the planned power transition.

It was crudely put in the meeting and one would expect the autistic Tony Pua to have said it to Mahathir to announce now exactly when he will secede power to Anwar. The same manner he announced in 2002 that he will passover all positions to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at end of 2003.

This was met by Tun Daim whacking Lim Guan Eng for ignoring civil servants and revealed that he brought in some 20 political appointees to replace civil servants or shadow the heads of departments or agencies. The same manner DAP did when taking over Penang.

It was Daim defending Mahathir.

The subsequent reaction was a question from the media in Tokyo in a Nikkei Conference Dialogue  asking when exactly he is stepping down. His answer was merely to reaffirm with a new story to the twist of he need to raise money for the country. And PH been saying Najib put the country in debt and they will pare it down.

It was his words that he does not care what people say that brought out a reaction from a staunch Anwar supporter, Abdullah Sani, MP for Ulu Langat. He reiterated the same question by the media when exactly will he resign.

Rightly so, Mahathir and Daim is trying to bring the narrative to the economy. But Mahathir is keeping them guessing on the time and when. One excuses after another is being given.

Kit Siang told him in that early May confrontation blamed Mahathir for foreign investors losing confidence with Malaysia and shying away, stock market and financial markets have been down since May 9th 2018, and foreign countries no more friendly to Malaysia.

Typical of Mahathir is to not admit his faults, more so he is not in charge of any portfolio. He has pre-empted to blame his cabinet team as incompetent and most obvious bunggling was by Lim Guan Eng. It is hard for Kit Siang to rebut as it will fall flat on his son.

However, Mahathir's back is moving against the wall. Time is running out. It is time for him to make a move. If Anwar is brave enough and not spooked by another possible court case for corruption or power abuse or sodomy again, he would be making his move more loudly.

At the same time, Mahathir has Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to contend with. There is mutiny in Johor  and the quarrel with Muhyiddin is out in the open.

Initially, Muhyiddin committed political the taboo to confront and question Daim and the legitimacy of CEP's actions. Hell broke loose when he applied his legitimate power as President to ignore Mahathir's instruction in handling the Johor MB-ship, Sultan Johor request, state exco appointment change, and Johor PPBM line-up. 

In Sabah, Warisan too is unhappy with the migration of UMNO Sabah MPs, leaders and members into PPBM. There are aligned to Dato Shafiee Apdal's mortal enemy, for CM Tan Sri Musa Aman.

The Azmin who was thought to be able to bring up to 27 PKR MPs to Mahathir side could hardly bring 10 MPs and even 3 MPs only was mentioned.

Political observers already jumped the gun to assume the appointment of  Lathefa Koya as Chief Commissioner of MACC as a Mahathir's political move.

It is indeed a strategic political move but ethically incorrect move. Will get to that in later posting, but typical Mahathir, his important moves will always be a stone to kill several birds at one go.

If he call for a snap election, he will want to kill the whole flock of problems and constraints flying above his head.

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