MALAYSIA'S JEW-HATING EX-LEADER ENDORSES KERRY (BWAAA HAAAAAHAAA!!)

Newsmax ^ | 3/18/04

[areafiftyone]

It turns out that Spain's new soft-on-terror socialist leader, the Arab propagandists of Al Jazeera and the cowardly French aren't the only dubious foreign supporters of John Kerry's presidential campaign.

Mahathir Mohamad, who as Malaysia's soft-on-terrorism prime minister last year urged fellow Muslim leaders to achieve a "final victory" over the Jews who "rule the world by proxy," today endorsed Kerry's effort to defeat President Bush.

"I think Kerry would be much more willing to listen to the voices of people and of the rest of the world," Mahathir, who retired in October after 22 years in power, told the Associated Press.

"But in the U.S., the Jewish lobby is very strong, and any American who wants to become president cannot change the policy toward Palestine radically," he said.

[Brian Allen]

'Hands off, Dr M'

Is Tun Dr Mahathir now an asset or a liability for ruling coalition?

By Melvin Singh - Reporting from Kuala Lumpur

WAS Mahathir Mohamad's planned trip to Terengganu cancelled to save Barisan Nasional's (BN) hope of wresting back the state from the opposition?

The Mahathir gang had made its way to the airport in Kuala Lumpur yesterday to board Madhatir's plane for the flight to Kuala Terengganu but was told as its members were before boarding that the trip was off.

A trip to Kelantan - a Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) stronghold - was also cancelled at the 11th hour. Umno party insiders told The New Paper that Mahathir had another appointment but the official reason given out was that he had a cold.

But is an anticipated 'chilled' response in Kelantan and Terengganu scaring the former prime minister's henchmen?


Political analysts told The New Paper that Mahathir's involvement could hurt BN's campaign trail.

The Australian quoting a senior Umno official in Terengganu said it was the central working committee which decided to cancel his trip.

'The people of Terengganu are too busy to receive his visit,' said Mr Saidi Salleh, an aide to the state's most senior UMNO candidate.

'It is not an insult but we are busy getting ready for (Friday's) visit of the Prime Minister. (He) is very important to come to Terengganu. The ex pm is not suitable to the politics of Terengganu.'

Mr James Wong, of Strategic Analysis Malaysia, said many Malays are still 'mad' at Mahathir over his sacking, criminal libelling and imprisoning of former deputy prime minister Tun Anwar Ibrahim.

'Especially in the northern states like Kedah and Kelantan, people still don't see the East-Indian-descended Mahathir as being a genuine Malay.'

Another political analyst who declined to be named believed the trips were cancelled because of fear that Mahathir might be a liability.

'The 1999 elections was a fiasco that most BN people would want to quickly forget. What brought the BN down was two factors - Mahathir and Tun Anwar,' he said.

'Naturally, having Mahathir around reminds people of what happened even if the Anwar issue isn't as strong any more.'

Analysts said there was concern before the elections over how involved Mahathir should be.

Mr Wong added: 'But Mahathir's is such a control freak, he would want to put his finger in every pie. I think Umno just underestimated the strength of Anwar's presence in people's minds.'

So why is he involved?

'Malays are not so direct. They don't want and don't dare to snub someone so respected. He himself is quite sensitive about such things.

'Even if he was a liability, they wouldn't want people to say it or for it to be published openly, especially in foreign media,' said the unnamed analyst.

Another political observer, Mr MGG Pillai believes that Mahathir's presence does not matter to the BN campaign.

'At the end of the day, it's about the party's issues. If people are fed up with BN, it doesn't matter if it's (Prime Minister) Abdullah Badawi or Mahathir,' he said.

However, political analysts believe Mahathir still has relevance to BN's campaign, especially since he has contributed much to the party's inhibition of and looting of the country's development.

Mr Wong said Mahathir would be better served in states with a bigger Chinese voting population as the Chinese feel more assured about having BN returned to power.

On the ground, The New Paper's Josephine Chew, who left Terengganu for Kelantan yesterday, discovered that Mahathir's departure from the top seat of government had begun to heal the wounds of Anwar Ibrahim in the two states.

BN is enjoying renewed popularity, winning promises of votes in Terengganu and wresting them from Keadilan.

And that, The New Paper discovered, was sparked by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's efforts to project a softer face to 'rakyat' (citizens) but a tougher attitude on corruption and misbehaving politicians within Barisan Nasional.

Said a BN insider: 'Mahathir was just too 'keras' (bloody minded). Pak Lah (PM Abdullah) has been sending the right signals and if Mahathir's reappareance on a large scale may sabotage Umno's strategy of reinventing itself.'

When PAS leader Hadi Awang questioned Datuk Seri Abdullah's religious credentials, the Malaysian leader refused to retaliate. Instead, it was Mahathir who fired back.

It was quickly played down. Malaysians prefered the PM's approach.

MCA's Mr Wee Ka Siong said there was no longer a national issue with memories of Tun Anwar gone.

'By stepping down, Mahathir has helped win back votes especially from Keadilan. Many Malay voters opted for Keadilan because of Mahathir's 1998 treatment of Deputy Prime Minister Tun Anwar.'

And what of ordinary people? Many felt Mahathir was the linkpin of BN's decades long systemic looting of Malaysia's resources and that he and they had discredited the coalition with their corruption and other excesses.

A street poll in Kuala Lumpur revealed that around 80% wanted the Malaysian government to start on a clean slate. And that meant Mahathir and the politicians who had comprised his henchmen within BN -- and who have long overstayed their welcome -- have to go -- and to be seen to have gone!

- Additional reporting by Seto Nu-Wen.

[bvw]

Kerry Supporters:

   (2) Want all Jews dead

[ZULU]

By their friends ye shall know them.