Yoursay: The PM's post is not Mahathir's to give away

YOURSAY | Mahathir should stop listening to himself, and listen to the views of others.

If Anwar is not going to be PM, say it! Dignity means speaking sincerely

Harjit Singh Rattan Singh: The people have the right to know about the transition between Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Why is it so difficult to come up with a specific date? Why are the leaders of Pakatan Harapan creating uncertainty regarding the transition?

The leaders of Harapan are not even brave enough to speak up against the politics of race and religion. The fear is due to the perception that they will lose political support. For them, retaining political power is more important than nation-building.

In many ways, Harapan is similar to the previous government.

Unspin: Considering Mahathir's poor track record in selecting prime ministers - Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Abdul Razak were disasters - he should stop listening to his inner voice, and start listening to the views of the majority for a change.

Anonymous_1548727643838.24631548726807520: The prime minister's post does not belong to Mahathir, and therefore it is not his to give away when and to whom he chooses.

When the two years are up, he must hand the post back to PKR, under whose flag Harapan parties contested in the last general election.

There is already an understanding and consensus that the post will go to party leader Anwar.

If Mahathir does not want to hand it over, then PKR, DAP and Amanah will have to do what is needed to get rid of him.

Mat MD: Mahathir should stick to and honour his promise on the transition of the prime minister’s post to Anwar within two years by specifying the date of the transition, in order to clear any doubt and uncertainty in people's minds.

As age is catching up, Mahathir is becoming less agile and slow in his reflexes.

Therefore, it is fitting that Anwar, who is younger and more agile, and bold enough to take risks, handles these challenging duties.

Anonymous_1399778124: If Mahathir can say that, then this is no more ‘wayang kulit’ (shadow play). Malay politics is the art of wayang kulit, and Mahathir is true to form.

Does this mean there is no more dignity in Malay politics?

I think Musa Hitam, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and former prime minister Abdullah, though not geniuses in Malay politics, were only prepared to play wayang up to a limit. There is dignity in them that supersedes the confusing art form that is wayang.

Mahathir is a different kettle of fish. It seems quite obvious to any keen observer of Mahathir, the end justifies the means.

The Analyser: “I find it baffling that this coterie of reformist leaders is not able to sit down and tell the people what they have agreed,” said former law minister Zaid Ibrahim.

Coterie: noun; a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people.

An interesting choice of words there. But not a good one. There is no shared interest among the remnants of Harapan. And there is absolutely nothing reformist about this coalition. They have abandoned the election manifesto.

Why look for any consensus on the next prime minister, when you know the decision will be made unilaterally? And there will not be a peep of dissent from the plastic replicas of human beings who make up the rest of the government.

MS: Zaid has set an impossible task for these Harapan leaders - as impossible as it would be for Zakir Naik to embrace Shintoism.

"They can start by explaining what is the actual understanding among Pakatan Harapan leaders of the transition of power from the current leader to the future leader. Harapan leaders must collectively behave and act with more dignity on this subject, and this requires them to speak with frankness and candour."

If they could do this, they would not have embarked on this succession ‘sandiwara’ with mendacious Mahathir dispatching his Bersatu snipers to annoy the others in this coalition of convenience.

Anonymous 2405371458107314: Dignity is not something that can be given. Hence, nobody can take away your dignity, if you conduct yourself with dignity.

Only you can take away your dignity by acting and responding in an undignified manner.

Bright Morning Star: Spot on, Zaid. Is this some kind of a sick joke? A congress on 'Malay Dignity'? You mean they must hold a seminar to give themselves some form of dignity?

Absurd! Dignity is something you make of yourself, something you have in you, your pride, your self-respect, your integrity, your honesty, your principles, etc. All these define your dignity.

It's a willingness to work hard and earn your money, not cheating, robbing, stealing or grabbing from others. Clean money earned from your own sweat and blood, not dirty money from crime or corruption.

It's all about who you are and what you stand for, which no one can take away.

Unless and until you understand its true meaning, it's utterly foolish and undignified to call for such a meeting. An exercise in futility, a chasing after the wind. Meaningless.

Anonymous Malaysia2018: Yes, be sincere, be dignified. Have the guts to do what is right.

Explain the failure of Umno leaders in helping the Malays to be better educated and to be less dependent on government aid.

Why did the leaders fail? Is it because they keep on harping on the old issues of race and religion?

It is convenient to blame others for your wrongdoings or wrong thinking. Giving cash to the people is tantamount to giving fish for the people. They eat fish for one day, then they will come back for another fish the next day. How many fish can you give to the people and for how many days?

Instead of giving fish to them, teach them to fish so that they can be independent and learn to fish for themselves.

People must throw away the crutches. If they do not learn to walk without crutches, their limbs will be weak and they have to depend on walking sticks all the time.

They must learn to be competitive, Learn English, or Mandarin, if the job requires a knowledge of the language. The employer is not biased; he is practical and pragmatic. The employer is not doing charitable work; he is doing business for profit.

Get real. We are living in a globalised world and there is competition for jobs and for business. Those who cannot compete will have to close shop.

It is the same competitive spirit in sports. You must train for hours. So, throw away the walking stick and walk.

Clever Voter: There seems to be a habit among political opportunists to demand everything or anything under the Malay label. Successive governments have given in to such political extortion.

Recent cuts have hurt some, the Treasury is probably at its lowest level, and here we have a gathering of people with an opportunity to make their anger known as change has hurt.

It is time someone has the courage to say 'No' to such demands, and do the right thing in not giving in.

A majority are decent people having to work to earn their three meals. Zaid is right - they know the truth, but they just do not have the guts to say so.

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.