Campaign to oust Anwar is a one-man Mahathir show

Focus Malaysia

21-07-2025

TUN Dr Mahathir Mohamad has offered a very sound advice to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim: resign immediately, there's no harm.
On the surface, it looks like he's playing the role of a wise, elderly statesman who was twice a prime minister and who knows what he's talking about.
Didn't he graciously step down before completing his second term when some quarters, he claimed, didn't like him? He resigned on his own accord. There was no public pressure to get him out of office.
Exemplary. Courageous. Noble. This is how a leader should behave. But in Anwar's case, Mahathir diagnoses a different situation: through his stethoscope, he hears loud, disturbing beats indicating that the PMX is facing mounting public pressure to step down.
What's the cause of it? The old doctor came up with a ready answer: the 'patient' has been making many mistakes which are causing so much hardship to the people. Not good for the health of the country.
He continued his examination: Anwar is clueless. He doesn't know how to manage the country properly. And so the people are very angry and are pressuring him to resign post-haste.
Look at some countries like the UK and Bangladesh where their leaders voluntarily quit their premiership when they fell into serious trouble.
Mahathir cites UK premier Boris Johnson who stepped down mid-way through his term following a mass revolt by his ministers over the COVID-19 scandal.
And then Mahathir rather ominously held up Sheikh Hasina as the leader who had to give up her post and flee the country after a mass violent public protest.
His favourite model must be Japan where he pointed out that the prime ministers there would quit promptly over the slightest mistake. Therefore, Anwar should preferably Look East and resign on the spot for allegedly committing serious mistakes.
The veteran politician is being disingenuous in his counsel. No, he's not going to heap praise on Anwar should the latter decide to bow out graciously.
His 'fatherly' advice is nothing but a ruse to get Anwar thrown out with feverish haste.
Mahathir has only one aim: to get rid of his nemesis as early as possible and remove every vestige of his regime.
The cantankerous centenarian has clearly laid out his strategy on how to accomplish his unstatesman-like end: hold rallies throughout the country to force Anwar to quit his post.
It follows that if Anwar refuses to leave Putrajaya, then the rallies might turn ugly just like what happened in Bangladesh.
The implication is that violence might erupt and thousands of people might rush to Anwar's official residence and ransacked the place culminating in Anwar fleeing for his life to God knows where.
The street protests in Bangladesh took a fatal turn with reportedly more than 300 people killed and hundreds injured in clashes with the police.
Does Mahathir want to see a similar horror unfolding in Malaysia? Will he instigate the street protesters to march on to Putrajaya and along the way clash with the police?
In Bangladesh, the army stepped in and restored order and formed an interim government. So, will the apolitical army in Malaysia follow the same path and perhaps install Mahathir as an interim PMX?
Pakatan Harapan has been in power since 2022 and so far, Anwar's reign did not usher in chaos, lawlessness and repression on the scale of Bangladesh.
Granted, our country too is living in tense times given the fragile nature of our society with politicians like Mahathir fanning racial and religious animosities.
There are also policies that do not sit well with other ethnic groups which could potentially tear the social fabric apart.
But unlike Bangladesh, the country held steady and didn't descend into turmoil. Mahathir may think the hullabaloo over the judiciary could be the lightning rod for a mass uprising but nobody is paying heed to his jeremiads.
Unlike UK premier Johnson, there was no mass resignation of ministers from Anwar's cabinet over the perceived attack on the judiciary.
For sure, Mahathir will not stop his political assaults. In fact, he is intensifying his campaign to oust the premier with more Turun Anwar rallies planned.
It seems that public pressure is growing but who are the people who are goading Anwar to dismount from his saddle? You can actually count the number of Mahathir's supporters on your finger: only one‒Mahathir.
Nevertheless, the old man is putting on a show of strength but doesn't want to wait for a general election to test his prowess because he knows he will again be trounced and humiliated in a replay of the momentous battle of Langkawi in the historic 15th general election.
So, let's imagine what this sly fox will do if Anwar is forced to relinquish his role as the country's chief executive before his term is up.
Mahathir, all pumped with the oxygen of politics, will no doubt lobby for the vacant post, and if he becomes the PMX again for the third time, he has only one all-consuming mission: to do a Najib on Anwar.
With Anwar back in prison on some charges, framed or otherwise, the tottering old man will step down gracefully because he himself will have no more clues and no more fresh ideas on to how manage the country.
This will pave the way for the likes of Perikatan Nasional chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin or Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin or PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang to take over the helm.
Will there be Mahathir-inspired peace in the land? Unlikely. There might be renewed crisis as all these alternative leaders, especially Hadi, have a record of exploiting race and religion which could cause civil unrest.
Mahathir should get out of his 'clinic' and stand outside: do you see tens of thousands of protesters flooding the streets chanting for Anwar to go?
This whole political charade will most probably end with Mahathir forced to lead the charge with back-up from Muhyiddin, Hadi and Hamzah—and that is the sum total of the strength of the vaunted massive public protest. ‒ July 21, 2025
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Reuters