MARCH 30 - My father is 71 years old and cannot stop smoking cigarettes. I have asked him many times why was it difficult for him to stop smoking even though it is dangerous to his poor health. He always replies: “Don’t deny me the last pleasure I have in life. I can’t do the other vices.”
I suppose that analogy can also apply to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He likes to criticise and derives the greatest pleasure from it. He would be an unhappy man if he doesn’t get to spew criticism to all and sundry. And he must be right and in the political centerstage all the time.
Over the weekend, he even upstaged retiring Umno president, Dato Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi by making an appearance and grandstanding at the party’s general assembly.
He is also expected to rejoin Umno after Dato Seri Abdullah’s retirement as Prime Minister on April 3. Of course, he has said there are a few conditions for his re-entry.
I hope the new Umno president, Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak will give him a probationary membership just in case he decides to leave the party again.
Apart from that, Najib pulled off a wise political move by offering to be the mediator between the two former prime ministers with the intention of containing their feud within the party in his Umno general assembly closing speech.
He also revealed Dato Seri Abdullah’s good-hearted commitment not to publicly criticise his leadership in the future.
And he reserved his polite but stinging criticism of Tun Dr Mahathir to stop his open attacks on Umno and its leaders and help to solve the problems of the party from within.
Najib was probably trying to end the curse of past Umno presidents dying as former members of the party. This has happened to Dato’ Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn. Only Najib’s father, Tun Razak Hussein died, in office.
For us in Umno, it was quite heart warming to witness Abdullah’s political brother and Dr Mahathir’s political son tell off his squabbling predecessors to basically shut up and help him to unite the party again.
I truly hope that Dato Seri Mohamed Najib will succeed in his efforts to pacify Tun Dr Mahathir especially as the old timer has laid out difficult conditions for him to rejoin Umno.
In my opinion, it would be easier to let Tun Dr Mahathir go. Umno cannot be held ransom by one person.
In life, there comes a time to let go. Unfortunately for my father, he can’t let go of smoking. For Tun Dr Mahathir, it’s talking.
However, Umno members will also not let go of this opportunity to renew itself and throw off all past baggage for a brighter future.
In that regard, Tun Dr Mahathir should stop being personal about the leaders of Umno Baru, which he helped found 21 years ago, and allow it to survive.
He should reflect on his past deeds before dispensing opinions.
Umno has started to change as evidenced by the results of the supreme council elections. They need advice, not sermons, as guidance as the party girds itself, first for the three by-elections on April 7 and for the future against increasing competition from rival parties that troubled it in Election 2008.
As Najib said quietly (what Madonna sang publicly): “Papa don’t preach.”
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