The Wesak Day Present For Abdullah

In the past, one of the activities to be carried out on the Wesak Day was to release captured animals. Followers would buy birds like pigeons and bring them to the temples.

A pigeon could see the sunlight once it was taken out from the bag but it did not know what was actually happening. It was uncertain about its fate.

When the hands holding the bird are loosened, the pigeon would lose its balance and fall. As an instinctive reaction, it would flap its wings. When it finds it has stopped falling, it would flap its wings harder and soar to great heights. It would be free.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was confused when former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad made his quit announcement on the Wesak Day.

Why was Dr Mahathir quitting Umno? What impact would it bring? Would Abdullah's position be affected?

"Dr Mahathir was very successful with his toughness and strategies. Most of his enemies ended up miserably."

It did not require a long time to answer Abdullah's questions. All appeared to be beneficial to Abdullah. Pak Lah should breathe a sigh of relief.

Dr Mahathir did not spend the time of his old age with his grandchildren or to write an autobiography. Instead, he spent it on dealing with Pak Lah and insisted in overthrowing the incumbent Prime Minister.

Do not ask why as it is definitely not entirely about power, money, reputation or hatred. Hatred exists only between Dr Mahathir and his former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Such thought is hard to understand his action and only Dr Mahathir could answer the question.

Obviously, Dr Mahathir has exhausted all avenues when he made the quit announcement.

We can recall that it was Dr Mahathir who defeated Tunku Abdul Rahman, drove off Tan Sri Mohd Ghazali Shafie, overwhelmed Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and sacked Anwar. He cut the powers of the royalty and choked the judicial system.

Dr Mahathir was very successful with his toughness and strategies. Most of his enemies ended up miserably.

When Dr Mahathir wanted Abdullah to step down, Pak Lah could only try to avoid his attack and dared not to fight back.

Mahathir has been attacking Pak Lah many times over the past few years but he failed to hit the nail on the head. Until Pak Lah was vulnerable after the 8 March general elections. Dr Mahathir took the opportunity to strike again.

Dr Mahathir went all over the country and shouted slogan to urge Abdullah to step down. He called on an emergency general assembly to turn the pressure on Pak Lah. He was upset with the nomination quota system and has asked the party's branches not to nominate Abdullah.

He spread the “successor remarks” in the party, hoping to drive a wedge between Abdullah and his deputy.

He even manipulated racial issues and played with the Malay Supremacy issue to accuse Pak Lah for being unable to protect the Malays, causing the country to fall into the hands of non-Malays.

Dr Mahathir was in a state of utter stupor when all the attacks failed to defeat Pak Lah. He has lost his calm and could not concentrate in the calculation of his strategies. And his supporters are gradually leaving him.

He has came to face the same fate as Umno's other presidents and followed the step of Dato's Sir Onn Ja'afar, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn, who left the party they led. Not many people responded to his resignation. Instead, many criticised and questioned him why he leaves if he loves the party?

He has lost the stage, and he is doomed to withdraw from the political arena.

(By TAY TIAN YAN/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily)
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