Not voting is as good as voting for Najib, claims Dr M

Malaysians who are bored and cynical of the political situation will end up helping Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak retain power in the next general election, according to Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In his latest blog posting, the former premier attempted to persuade Malaysians, especially the youth, to cast their ballots in GE14.

“Najib can win not because the people support him. Najib can win because the people are bored and cynical towards politics.

“Bored! They won't vote. Not voting is akin to voting Najib,” he said.

Mahathir noted that there are some four million Gen Y who have reached the eligible age to vote in the next general election.

“While the older voters wish to continue with their previous struggle, the Gen Y however do not care about past struggles. To them, only the present situation is relevant.

“They were born long after independence. The struggle for independence is no longer relevant. Dato Onn (Jaafar), Tun (Abdul) Razak (Hussein) and Dr Mahathir are just names in history, who are incapable of doing anything for the Gen Y,” he added.

Mahathir, who is chairperson of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), said the Gen Y believe that there is no difference between the ruling and opposition parties.

He added that this generation is of the opinion that politicians on both sides of the fence are pursuing power and financial rewards.

“The difference is that the opposition is still clamouring for positions pretending to be united, chasing positions and power. This is the Gen Y's opinion.

“The government party (according to the Gen Y) does not allow power struggles, is obsessed with the leadership, have blind support, and deny reality.

“Between these two contesting parties, the Gen Y feel that whoever wins, it will be the same. So why should the Gen Y involve themselves, and vote in the election,” he added.

Mahathir also pointed out that votes from the older generation would not be sufficient to oust the current government.

“This means, they will lose. It means those who receive 'dedak' will win. It means cash will continue to be king.

“The old cannot be left behind. The young cannot be sidelined. To win, there must be a combination of both old and young. The old must understand the mindset of the young. The young must consider the struggles of the older generation,” he added.- Mkini