KING TO INTERVENE IN MAHATHIR-ABDULLAH SPAT?

By Nor Hayati Muda

KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 (Bernama) -- An Umno veteran feels that the spat between former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has reached a stage where it can only be resolved by the intervention of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin as the mediator.

Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Tapa, 85, said only the intervention of Tuanku Mizan, as the representative of the Malay rulers, can bring the two leaders together for talks to end their quarrel.

"It (the spat) has reached a difficult stage for them to resolve on their own. As such, I would suggest that, if possible, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong summon both of them to have discussions.

"I feel no one else can act as the mediator because both of them are like fire. You cannot fight fire with fire. The matter has even gone beyond the stage where Umno veterans can help," he said when contacted by Bernama.

Saying that Malays were bound by the deep-rooted traditional values of the rulers, he explained that it was not wrong for the Malay rulers to intervene in the dispute because it was Umno which had championed the cause of restoring the powers of the Malay rulers.

He said the Malayan Union proposed in 1946 would have usurped the powers of the Malay rulers except for their status as head of the Islamic religion but Umno championed the cause of restoring these powers through the initiative of the party's founder Datuk Onn Jaafar.

He also said that at stake in the dispute between the two leaders was not just Umno but the Malays in general.

"I see this (dispute) as a harbinger of the destruction of Umno and disunity of the Malays. Pak Lah (Abdullah) heads a Cabinet now. He has won the elections. How can he step down? He cannot resign just because of that (Dr Mahathir's quitting Umno).

"Many (people) have stated their expression of support to Pak Lah. Those who do not support him are maintaining silence. These are indications of a breakup," he said.

Abdul Aziz expressed his feelings on what was happening to the Malays in a "pantun" (poem) which implied that the Malays were in dire straits due to envious leaders, as follows:

Anak raja menjunjung kayu,

Kayu dibawa dibuat titian,

Malang sungguh anak Melayu,

Sebab pemimpin berdengki-dengkian.

Former Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Aishah Ghani feels that the spat between Dr Mahathir and Abdullah was Umno's domestic problem.

"It is unnecessary to involve the Yang di-Pertuan Agong because this is a party matter. Furthermore, this is not the first time that Umno has faced a crisis. It has been up against worst crises before, and we have resolved all of them.

"It is also not easy to bring these two leaders together for discussions. They are not children," the Umno veteran said.

Aishah said she was convinced that the dispute between Dr Mahathir and Abdullah could be resolved if all quarters involved placed party interests above personal interests.

"I feel the matter can be settled if Pak Lah is a little accommodating. My suggestion is for Pak Lah to say when he would step down. He has mentioned that he would step down but has not said when. Now is the time for him to dislose that.

"When there is a time frame, people wanting Pak Lah to step down will no longer keep urging him to do so because they know when he will do just that," she said.

Aishah said she has been hearing talk among party members who have cynically questioned Abdullah's statement on his stepping down.

"That's the problem. It's just talk. The same goes for (Deputy Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Najib (Tun Razak's) statement that he will discuss the transition of power with Pak Lah. Do so quickly. Do not just talk," she said.

She said that as a veteran who had moved up the ranks in the party, she was saddened by what was happening in Umno now.

"We are unable to do anything. We are powerless. We are just ordinary members. What we have are experience and our love for Umno. It is due to this love for the party that we continue to give our views and advice. It is up to them (the current leaders) whether they want to listen to us," she said.

Recently, political analyst Prof Dr Ahmad Atory Hussein had voiced similar views, saying that it would not be wrong for Abdullah to make the first move and meet up with Dr Mahathir.

"What more when it is in the interests of Umno and the Malays," said the lecturer of the Law and Public Administration Faculty of Universiti Utara Malaysia.

However, it may be difficult to carry out the suggestions of Aishah and Ahmad Atory because since the spat between Dr Mahathir and Abdullah began, both leaders have met but the dispute has remained unresolved.

And, Dr Mahathir has continued to hurl criticisms at Abdullah and has described the prime minister as weak and being under the influence of people close to him, including his family.

Abdullah, who took over as prime minister, Umno president and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman from Dr Mahathir on Oct 31 2003, has maintained silence rather than reply to the criticisms.

The dispute between the two leaders reached a "shocking" stage last Monday when Dr Mahathir, who had served as Umno president for 22 years, announced that he was quitting the party after having lost confidence in Abdullah's leadership.

Many quarters see the move as a last-ditch attempt by Dr Mahathir to remove Abdullah from Umno and the government.