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Press Statement by Charles Santiago in Klang on Friday, 5th September 2008: 

Dr M and Keng Yaik should accept responsibility for the mess in UMNO/ BN and country  

The Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has drawn flak since the March upset election which saw the ruling coalition lose its stronghold in Parliament. His position within UMNO and as the country's chief has become highly uncertain and fragile.

Dissidents in the ruling UMNO have demanded his resignation placing the blame for the shocking defeat solely on the premier's shoulders. The strongest call comes from former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who has made little effort to disguise his displeasure over Abdullah, his chosen successor.

Mahathir is now on the prowl to lobby enough support to oust Abdullah and restore the image of UMNO and BN. Whether booting out Abdullah will solve the problems faced by UMNO remains to be seen. But it is an irony to see Mahathir vow to soldier on to find the crucial solution after having wrecked the image of UMNO during his grip on power.

It is given that Abdullah has not done much about his rhetoric to wipe out corruption and clean up the country's administration. But his is not an enviable task as Abdullah inherited a corrupt government from his former boss. Mahathir has gained quite a reputation for single-handedly ruining the judiciary, closing an eye on the abuse of power by the police force, domesticating the media, manipulating the electoral system and ignoring rampant corruption and money politics in UMNO and Barisan Nasional.

His 22 years in power was possible with the use of various laws like the Internal Security Act, Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act, Printing Presses and Publications Act and the University and University Colleges Act to curb any form of dissent in the country.

While Mahathir now claims that Abdullah is a liability to UMNO, the origin of his wrath might stem from the Prime Minister's refusal to carry out Mahathir's projects or self-styled legacy. The public brawls and insulting remarks started with Abdullah's reluctance to continue Mahathir's pet project of building a bridge linking the causeway to Singapore.

Mahathir might feel saddened to see UMNO lose the support it once enjoyed among the people and especially Malays but his hatred for Abdullah comes from seeing his legacy crumble.

In the same light, Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik's sudden reprisal of UMNO is amusing. It's as if Dr Lim just woke up from a deep sleep that lasted years. During his tenure as a minister, never once did he suggest that UMNO must re-brand itself to stay relevant to the people. UMNO's corrupt leaders and racial politics suited the political aspirations of Dr Lim then. Now he is taking the high moral ground and is subtly threatening to quit the ruling coalition after his party's humiliating defeat at the general elections.

Whether it is the MCA, MIC or Gerakan, leaders of these respective parties played along to curry favor with the ruling elites within UMNO. But now that Abdullah's position is shaky and UMNO is losing its lock on power, we see the sudden mushrooming of dissidents within and outside the party.

In reality, all leaders like Dr Mahathir and Dr Lim must share the responsibility for the downfall of UMNO and the ruling coalition government. While Abdullah inherited the rot, Dr Mahathir created and presided over the rot. Dr Lim, meanwhile, was a mute spectator.


* Charles Santiago, MP for Klang