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Malaysia's Mahathir Weighing Exit Options
by Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA (IslamOnline) - Malaysia will have its cabinet reshuffled by the end of this month says aging Premier Mahathir Mohamad, raising speculations that he might abandon his post altogether.
Sources in Kuala Lumpur say that Mahathir is seriously pondering exit options offered to him in the wake of growing discontent within his own party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).
His advancing age and promises that he will not lead the ruling National Front (NF) coalition into another election battle with the opposition has sent waves of rumors in Kuala Lumpur that the longest serving Premier in Malaysia might have reached the end of his rule.
An observer in Kuala Lumpur says Malaysia is facing a crisis of confidence that started with the revocation of Anwar Ibrahim as Deputy Prime Minister.
The move by Mahathir divided the nation and caused a paradigm shift among the Malays who dropped Mahathir's party for that of the Islamic opposition, the Party Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).
Mahathir on Monday said he would make changes in his federal cabinet before the Chinese Lunar New Year.
"Before Chinese New Year, Inshallah [God willing]," Mahathir said, when asked about the timing of the cabinet changes.
"I can't say anything, I have to submit to the King, so that's not nice protocol wise, if I am to reveal anything" he told a news conference.
Mahathir met with Malaysia's King, a ceremonial post, on Monday but said the meeting was not related to the planned cabinet reshuffle.
Strong rumors persist that Mahathir will announce his resignation as Prime Minister only to take up a more lucrative but relaxed job as Chief Minister, emulating his neighbor Lee Kuan Yew who is now Chief Minister of Singapore.
Yew was premier of the tiny, but rich, island nation state for over 30 years until his appointment as Chief Minister ten years ago. His then deputy, Goh Chok Tong, took over as Premier and still holds the position.
Mahathir recently said his party was facing serious trouble and that solutions to the problems had to be envisaged. He added that they were large and complicated, but did not further elaborate on the causes of the troubles.
Reports in the local press said that a UMNO special meeting held in December before the start of the Ramadan caused the incoming reshuffle, and the possible progression of Mahathir as Chief Minister.
Information leaked to the press suggested that UMNO members told Mahathir that he was the cause of the problems the party was facing and that he had to find ways and means to resolve them.
Some members even told Mahathir that it was high time for him to move on and leave the leadership to others so that the party would have a better chance to get back Malay support.
They even told him he was unpopular with Malays and that his criticism of the Chinese community was improper, tagging one of their most popular organizations, the Suqui, as extremists.
He was also blamed for the recent defeat of the NF to the opposition in the Lunas by-election, a previous stronghold of the ruling coalition.
Observers told IslamOnline that a Mahathir resignation or long leave of absence would terminate his career as Prime Minister. The best option for him remains the top most post of Chief Minister, they say.
Uncertainty over when Mahathir will announce the cabinet reshuffle has unsettled financial markets and placed pressure on the stock markets.
The planned reshuffle follows the resignation earlier this month of Islamic affairs minister Abdul Hamid Othman. The Minister is a close friend of Mahathir. He lost his seat in the 1999 general elections and was subsequently promoted to senator in the Parliament.
The reshuffle would be the first since a November 1999 general election and could place a woman into a higher position. Persistent rumors state that Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin may shed some of his duties and hand them over to Minister of International Trade and Industry, Rafidah Aziz, or the governor of the central Bank Negara, Zeti Akhtar Aziz.
Daim reportedly offered his resignation to Mahathir, but the latter refused, stating that he still needed the financial mentor in his cabinet. The same reports said Daim had fallout with Mahathir over a bank merger and several other economic issues.
Daim is considered a hero who turned the economic crash of the 1980s into a ten-year economic boost leading Malaysia to the top of the economic world.
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