Epitome of longevity?

A greedy old man or Machiavelli of Malaysia? Love him or hate him but you cannot ignore Mahathir Mohamad, whose vocabulary does not have words like 'retirement' or 'calling it a day'.

The recent announcement by the nonagenarian leader to contest the forthcoming general election should not come as a surprise to his detractors and supporters. The commentators in Malaysia know very well that writing the political obituary of this man can be a perilous business. Some even say that he has more political life than a cat. The grand old man of Malaysian politics has set the cat among the pigeons by announcing that his Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA), a Malay-Muslim coalition set up in August this year, will contest 120 parliamentary seats. Mahathir, who at the age of 97, possesses a sharp political mind, did not say who will be the prime minister if his coalition comes to power. However, he did not categorically rule out his candidature as he plans to defend his Langkawi seat.

The reason behind Mahathir's decision to jump into the fray is that he knows the Malaysian political landscape has undergone a sea change. The days of one-party rule are over and Malaysia has entered the era of coalition governments. Since his ouster as prime minister in March 2020, the country has seen two coalition governments, both of which could not last their terms. The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lynchpin of Barisan Nasional, which ruled Malaysia for 61 years, is no longer the same united UMNO as the party has undergone many splits. Besides, its star campaigner and strategist, former prime minister Najib Razak, is in jail on corruption charges. The other coalition partners of Barisan Nasional — Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) — have also lost support among the Malaysian Chinese and Indian communities. In the 2018 general election, the MCA was the biggest loser as it lost all seats but one. The MIC was once the largest party representing the Indian community but has performed poorly in elections since 2008.

Like Israel, Malaysian pollsters predict a split verdict in the 15th general election. A prominent Kuala Lumpur-based communications consultant says: "This time it will be 50-50. Both supporters are disillusioned with UMNO and Pakatan Harapan, a coalition of centre-left and centre-right, led by Anwar Ibrahim. Besides, we have new young voters as the law now allows those turned 18 to vote, and it will be difficult to read their sentiments."

Analysts say Mahathir's game plan hinges on the fractured verdict expected in the 15th general election. In such a scenario, he sees a chance of becoming the prime minister for the third time.

However, Dr Mahathir's game plan is peppered with lots of "ifs" and "buts" because the man who dominated Malaysian politics for decades, does not have the same sway over the Malay vote.

Political analyst Jeniri Amir, a fellow of the Council of Professors, says the GTA would have difficulty in winning votes or support because Mahathir's brand of politics could not be replicated. "Mahathir's influence is fading. He may win, but GTA won't go far as it is only a movement and not a party with any influence."

Faekah Husin, former political secretary to the chief minister of Selangor and a prominent lawyer, says Mahathir is very hard-working and one of his mottos is that a person needs to work to be healthy — physically and mentally.

He is a confident person who believes he is the best — so much so that he is quick to belittle the capabilities of others.

"It's unfortunate that Dr Mahathir who had enjoyed immense respect in the past does not know how and when to stop. At 97, his overconfidence and holier-than-thou attitude is seen as overbearing. Now, it's difficult to look at him as a normal hardworking politician. When we look at him, we see a greedy old man who still thirsts for power."

However, Mahathir is undeterred. In a recent Facebook post, he spelt out why he is nowhere near retirement. He said longevity offers him a chance to continue his struggle for religion, race and the nation.

On his decision to contest from Langkawi, Mahathir said: "Firstly, I am still alive by God's grace. There is no better struggle than the struggle for religion, race and country.

"As a leader, I cannot just sit down and order and ask others to do something without me doing the same,".

He concluded by saying that he believes his struggle is an act of worship (ibadat) and that there is no retirement from such struggle.

So, Dr Mahathir is here to stay. You can keep him out of power but you cannot keep him away from Malaysian politics!

The writer has worked on senior editorial positions for many renowned international publications. Views expressed are personal