Brendan Pereira on Monday: No one can win this clash of the year
New Straits Times (Columns)
06 Nov 2006
Brendan Pereira 

SO much has been written and spoken about the clash of the year.

With a week to go before this battle reaches a crescendo at the Umno general assembly, it may be timely to revisit some of the key points of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s campaign to discredit and destabilise Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his government.

Caution: those above 18 who do not believe in freedom of speech or dissenting opinions should avoid reading this column.

What motivated the attack?

Personal interest, nothing else. In the early days, the bile-dipped arrows came packaged as the impassioned plea of a former prime minister concerned over the future of the country. But over time, all pretence was dropped.

Dr Mahathir believed that he had put in place all the policies and projects that Malaysia needed. All he needed was to find a successor who would warm the top seat in the house and not tinker too much. He believed that in mild-mannered Abdullah he had found a caretaker who would safeguard his legacy and just follow the old template.

His statement to TIME recently is an eye-opener: "I thought that I have done most of the things that will serve us for the next 100 years... All that remains is for people to just continue. Don’t reverse what has already been done."

The irony of this whole sad episode is this: the PM has deep respect and love for Dr Mahathir. But he did not see himself as a seat warmer.

Why have the attacks become more personal?

Simple. Dr Mahathir wants to re-define the public perception of Abdullah. Most Malaysians see the PM as someone with a strong spine, someone who is clean, someone with a strong moral compass, someone who believes in a more open and transparent country.

These qualities and an election manifesto which caught the imagination of many helped Abdullah and the Barisan Nasional win a strong mandate in March 2004.

As long as Abdullah’s image remains intact, mud catapulted at him would not have stuck. So in recent weeks, the attacks have been designed to paint the PM as someone who encourages nepotism and who tolerates corruption. Dr Mahathir has also criticised Islam Hadhari.

"He is almost a saint who is free from any human weaknesses or wrongs," said Dr Mahathir. That is the image he is seeking to re-define.

Was there a tipping point in the attack?

Arguably, the tipping point came just after the peace talks between Dr Mahathir and Abdullah on Oct 22. Remember both of them agreed to the four-eye meeting because that was what the ground wanted. Barely 24 hours after the two-hour meeting, the former prime minister unleashed his most intense attack on Abdullah, questioning his integrity and even mocking the way he took notes.

For the fence-sitters, this fusillade of criticism was a clear signal that Dr Mahathir wasn’t interested in any compromise with the PM. He shared no common ground with Abdullah and went into the meeting looking to knock the PM into submission. Not the Hari Raya gift many people were hoping for.

Most stinging comment uttered by Dr Mahathir

It was only three words but they were designed to hurt and create doubt on Abdullah’s strongest quality — his integrity. After suggesting that the PM was involved in the United Nations food-for-aid programme in Iraq, he was asked his assessment of Abdullah’s personal honesty and integrity.

"I don’t know," said Dr Mahathir, despite knowing that a UN inquiry had cleared Abdullah.

And the winner is...

Nobody. Sure, Dr Mahathir has hurt himself badly in this attack. He has come across as uncharitable, vindictive and even untruthful to some. His statement that he was willing to hold his tongue if the half-bridge to Singapore was built has come across as self-serving.

His attempts to chisel himself as someone who embraced openness seemed surreal.

Still, only someone on magic mushrooms would argue that Abdullah has come through this spat unscathed. His record since becoming the PM has been run through the grinder and the spotlight has been shone on unfulfilled promises from the election manifesto.

What to expect at the Umno assembly

There will be a conscious effort not to allow the Dr Mahathir issue dominate the annual gathering of Umno delegates. The consensus is that the party should give the leadership unvarnished feedback about expectations not met. At the same time, members will rally around Abdullah.