Turning to Dr M shows the desperation of the times we live in

Should we give Mahathir a chance to save Malaysia?

Kim Quek: Politics is dynamic and never static. With Anwar Ibrahim in prison, Nik Aziz Nik Mat having left us, and PAS changing course under Abdul Hadi Awang, Pakatan is no more the power that we once knew that won 51 percent of popular votes in GE13.

So we have to improvise with the resources available now so that we will still have a good chance to win the mandate of the people come next election.

I agreed that Dr Mahathir Mohamad had created a political system that has given rise to Najib Abdul Razak’s allegedly monstrous regime, but if he recognises such a corrupt power as a calamity to the country and now works to depose that regime, he can be our ally, provided that he and his associates agree to basic reforms deemed non-negotiable by us.

Mahathir’s and Muhyiddin Yassin’s new party with Umno dissidents as core will have a unique reach to Umno’s heartland.

The party would be well-placed to enlighten Umno supporters and Malay masses that the current leadership is rotten to the core and drastic changes are absolutely necessary to save the country from ruin.

And the current US crackdown on the disastrous 1MDB affair would serve as excellent material for such political education. Such a greater alliance would certainly help to persuade PAS that their political future lies with the opposition, not the collapsing regime.

There is one proviso; Pakatan Harapan must remain united, for which the current Penang snap polls issue must be resolved amicably. The decision reached must be that which optimises our chances of capturing Putrajaya.

Vent: Former US ambassador to Malaysia John Malott has successfully highlighted the tragic comedy called Malaysia.

That we now need to turn to Mahathir to lead Malaysia shows the desperation of the times we live in and our utter paralysis as a people to affect change collectively.

Sadly, there are no good men left to save Malaysia. Those who fervently wish for Anwar reflect the desperation even further. While his incarceration is inexcusable, his Islamic chauvinism isn’t.

And a man for all seasons isn’t a man for a specific time. And the time will come when we will lose out on the numbers game too in what is in truth a fragile multicultural Malaysia.

So will our lives even matter then? Already we aren’t spared the jingoism. Perhaps ‘God’ might spare us?

Peacemaker: Mahathir has not shown that he is capable of judicious judgments and caring for the common interests of all Malaysians. He is a congenital Machiavellian who is driven by narrow sectarian interests, never national interests.

Mahathir had his chance and he showed his true colours at great cost to every Malaysian. Choosing Mahathir would be a grave mistake.

FellowMalaysian: Looking at it in a nutshell, I believe Malott’s opinion and advice is sound, relevant and timely.

Malaysians are faced with a grave and debilitating situation where the integrity of our country’s leaders is seriously questioned. The ruling regime has subverted political institutions as well as tightened the laws to the extent that the opposition is shackled in clutches.

Anwar has been thrown in jail for the past year and most of the other vocal opposition leaders were gagged and barred from entering Sarawak during the May state elections.

Mahathir remains the best chance we have left to take the lead. Let’s forget about his past records and legacy, atrocious or otherwise, for the time being and work together with him to achieve our goals.

Now is not the time to begrudge him about his past actions; we have much more important and urgent agendas to do together.

Lim Kit Siang, Ambiga Sreenevasan and Anwar are noble and magnanimous enough to accept him. It’s time we all do for the sake of saving the country.

Shanafrica: I agree with you, Sir. There must be other conditions that should be attached as well.

Like Mahathir must admit to his past mistakes, review all the constitutional amendments he made before and restore the independence of the institutions and give some power to the Agong.

An interim government must be formed with a combination of Pakatan and BN or the new party Mahathir is forming. When all the corrections are done, a free and fair election should be carried out.

Prudent: Getting into the Malay ‘heartland’ won’t save Malaysia either. We will have to contend against ‘dedak’ (animal feed), alleged gerrymandering (learnt from the US), election rigging/cheating/outright refusal to return the winning opposition candidate and the National Security Council (NSC) Act that will make Najib a virtual dictator. Only the true God Almighty can save us now.

Legit: I just read an article listing all the major financial scandals committed by the BN government since the 80s. This spans from the time of Mahathir to the present.

Despite these major scandals that drained the nation’s and hence the people’s wealth and livelihood, Malaysians unashamedly voted in the BN government in every election up till now.

Of course, one of the main reasons for this is that there has been no viable alternative. So the point is, the time has come to kick the BN government out and for the opposition to get its act together to form a viable alternative.

If that takes Mahathir to lead, so be it and he must at the same time come to grips with the fact that this enterprise is not only for getting rid of Najib but also Umno-BN.

This should also lead to revamping the entire political, economic and social system in the country.

Skyborn: The people must save themselves, not by having another saviour. It’s not too late to learn to swim. Mahathir doesn’t know how to save you, he can only float.

For 22 years, Malaysians were not taught to swim. What makes you think one good talk on the art of not drowning by Mahathir will save 30 million Malaysians.

New Dawn: If you are drowning, and your enemy passes by in his boat and offers a helping hand, what do you do?

Reject his help, question his motive, set conditions before accepting his hand, evaluate whether the boat will sink midway to safety, drown honourably.

I don’t know, still thinking about it.

Like it or not, Mahathir is lesser of the two evils

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.