A vote for Najib is a vote for racists Mahathir + Perkasa + corruption + Bankrupt Nation

Has Najib Razak passed on control of the country to Dr Mahathir Mohamad? It definitely seems this way because not a day goes by without Mahathir holding court from everything from the wisdom of listing FELDA to the wisdom of political debate to the future of the Malaysian football team.

The newspapers and even portals are full of Mahathir and I have to believe that Najib sees the former prime minister as an asset going into the coming polls. Well, I have to question the wisdom of Najib giving Mahathir and, by extension, his coterie of supporters including Ibrahim Ali carte blanche to say everything and do anything they want in Malaysia.

But if Najib believes that Mahathir is his potent election weapon to shock and awe, let me just say that his re-emergence is a reminder of:

● the years of divide and rule — it is no accident that race and religion continue to plague and divide this country. This is a legacy of the Mahathir years, where little was done to address the polarisation of the education system where Malays attended national schools, Chinese attended Chinese schools and the middle class sent their charges to private schools.

● the fact that the corruption and arrogance and excesses of Umno reared its head during the Mahathir years. He only talked about money politics but did little about it.

● cronyism and skewed capitalism were the hallmark of the Mahathir era from the one-sided IPPs to the Perwaja Steel fiasco to the collapse of national icons such as Malaysia Airlines.

● the collapse of national institutions such as the judiciary. Former Chief Justice Dzaiddin Abdullah was spot on when he levelled blame on Mahathir for the deterioration of the judiciary. We also have not forgotten the VK Lingam video scandal. Till today, the judges are making news for the wrong reasons, just think of the RM2.2 billion road deal linked to former CJ Tun Zaki Azmi.

● the promotion of the right-wing agenda in Umno. Before Perkasa, there was less strident rhetoric and divisive talk. Guess who is the main sponsor of Perkasa?

I am sorry but this is not a complete list but if Najib thinks that Mahathir is going to deliver the votes for him and if he wants him to be the stand-in PM, then I suggest we all refresh ourselves with the “legacy” of Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir Mohamad=Ibrahim Ali=Tajudin Ramli=Hasan Ali=Harussani Zakaria.