Dr Mahathir Mohamad's recent challenge to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to dissolve Parliament has been dismissed by political analyst James Chin as a desperate attempt to stay relevant. Chin, from the University of Tasmania, believes that Mahathir is trying to maintain his relevance despite not holding an elected position.
According to Chin, many leaders within the Perikatan Nasional coalition have distanced themselves from Mahathir, particularly after his controversial comments about non-Malays' loyalty to Malaysia. Chin suggests that the best course of action for Anwar and the rest of Malaysia is to ignore Mahathir's call for a snap election, as most people would view it as the plea of a desperate politician.
Mahathir currently serves as the unofficial advisor to the four state governments led by PAS, known as the SG4. In his recent statement, he challenged Anwar to call for an election and test his support among Malaysians. Mahathir highlighted his own previous success, having won five general elections with a two-thirds majority during his first term as prime minister, as evidence of his popularity among the people at that time.
He also pointed out that political leaders become prime ministers and form governments by winning elections—something Anwar had failed to do. However, Azmi Hassan, from Akademi Nusantara, expects Anwar to ignore Mahathir's challenge, considering it baseless. Azmi attributes Mahathir's attempt to the ongoing Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's probe against Mahathir's son, Mirzan.
Azmi believes that Mahathir is aware of Anwar's resistance to such pressure and that the challenge is unlikely to sway him. In summary, the dismissal of Mahathir Mohamad's challenge by political analysts suggests that it is perceived as a desperate attempt to maintain relevance in the political landscape. While Mahathir has enjoyed previous electoral success, his comments and actions have led to distancing by Perikatan Nasional leaders.
Both James Chin and Azmi Hassan advocate ignoring Mahathir's call for a snap election, as they believe it holds little weight and serves as a strategy to influence ongoing investigations. Anwar Ibrahim is expected to disregard the challenge and continue focusing on his role as Malaysia's 10th prime minister.
Source: Link
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