|
World Cup Fever Drowns Announcement of Mahathir’s Retirement Plan
 |
| Mahathir
Mohamad
|
By
Kazi Mahmood, IOL South East Asia correspondent
KUALA
LUMPUR, June 27 (IslamOnline) - The Malaysian ruling Malay party
United Malays National Organization (UMNO) announced the retirement
plan of Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysian prime minister on Tuesday evening,
June 25, but the population seems engulfed in World Cup fever more
than ever.
Newspaper
headlines saying the country was awaiting Mahathir’s final decision
to retire with anguish were matched on the streets with the eagerness
of the people to see South Korea go through the semi finals against
Germany.
Not
many people were eager to comment on the retirement plans of Mahathir
whom they believe has done enough and deserve a rest.
On
Wednesday, June 26, Brazil and Turkey dominated the talk in the
streets, coffee shops and offices. Workers geared themselves for an
early end to work in order to reach their homes and watch the prized
Brazil team play against the Turks.
Only
UMNO stalwarts and grassroots as well as top businessmen in the
country showed great concern over the confirmed resignation plan of
Mahathir for 2003.
Sources
within the UMNO said Mahathir actually officially retired on Saturday
and refused to accept to pull back his resignation. He went on a
holiday to Europe on Sunday and it is from there that he agreed with
the plans offered by the party.
The
UMNO on Tuesday said Mahathir would officially leave his posts from
the party and the government in October 2003 after an Islamic
conference in Malaysia.
The
party convinced Mahathir that the Islamic conference was an important
moment for the UMNO since the party will have to face a much stronger
opposition with Islamic Party Of Malaysia (PAS) now under the helm of
Hadi Awang.
The
UMNO intend to use this conference, where delegates from all over the
world are expected to attend, as a launch pad for its electoral fight
against the PAS, IslamOnline was told.
The next general elections are due for 2004 but may be held well
before that in 2003, UMNO sources at the Putra World Trade Center
(PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur told IslamOnline.
Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi, the deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia has been picked by
the UMNO to be the next Premier. He will have the daunting task to
face a refurbished PAS on his way to maintain his government in power
in 2004.
In
general, Malaysians feel that Mahathir’s retirement was due to come
at any time. The PM himself said on many occasions that he would
retire sooner or later.
“By
holding Mahathir’s resignation letter (if there was any), the UMNO
party tried to secure a smooth succession to Mahathir,” Maidin
Abdul, who works for a non-government Organization that is close to
the UMNO in Kuala Lumpur, said.
The
UMNO want to focus its next political battle on what it calls the
“extremism” of the new PAS leadership line-up. After the death of
Fadzil Noor last week, the PAS will have Hadi Awang, the Chief
Minister of Terengganu, a northern state controlled by the Islamic
Party, as leader.
Awang
is viewed as a Muslim “extremist” by the UMNO that also believe
Awang is the man to bring down if the ruling Malay party want to win
back what it lost to the PAS in 1999.
For
a large section of the Malay Muslims, with or without Mahathir, the
country should go on. Many told IslamOnline that they feel the UMNO is
to lose more without Mahathir than Malaysia as a country.
After
this short comment, most of the interviewees would focus back on
either their daily chores or on the result of the Brazil-Turkey match.
|
