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The 82-year-old Dr Mahathir (above) is the latest of the old guard politicians who have started their blogs after the March 8 elections in which the power of Internet was clearly on display. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
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KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad started his own blog Thursday, joining a growing band of politicians who are using the Internet to spread their views.
In keeping with his vehement criticism of his successor, Dr Mahathir's first post questioned the government's recent decision to set up an independent commission to appoint judges. They are currently appointed by the prime minister at his discretion.
Dr Mahathir pointed out that a constitutional amendment is needed to change the system. But such an amendment can only be made with a two-thirds majority in Parliament, which the ruling coalition lacks following its disastrous performance in the March 8 general elections.
'Is the Government proposing to work with the opposition on this issue, and so display its weakness? Will there be a quid pro quo, a bargain with the opposition? It would be interesting to see how the PM proposes to deal with this,' Dr Mahathir wrote.
Mahathir, Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister from 1981 to 2003, invited comments but there were none 12 hours after his blog went live. It had, however, registered 254 views.
The 82-year-old Dr Mahathir is the latest of the old guard politicians who have started their blogs after the March 8 elections in which the power of Internet was clearly on display.
Unable to get coverage in the government-controlled mainstream media, many opposition leaders including Democratic Action Party leader Lim Kit Siang reached out to the people through blogs.
Mr Jeff Ooi, a professional blogger known for his anti-government views, contested the elections on a DAP ticket and won.
The ruling National Front coalition acknowledged after the election that it lost the cyberwar to the opposition.
It was not clear what prompted Dr Mahathir to start his blog. But it could have been prompted by the fact that the mainstream media may be ignoring his bitterly critical remarks about Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Although Dr Mahathir hand-picked Mr Abdullah to succeed him in 2003, the two men now detest each other. Dr Mahathir accuses Mr Abdullah of corruption, nepotism and inefficiency, charges that Mr Abdullah denies.
Dr Mahathir's blog is named after his former pen name Che Det, or Mr. Det. This was Dr Mahathir's byline when he wrote for the Straits Times newspaper more than three decades ago.
Det is a shortened version of Mahatdet, which is how some people used to pronounce his name. -- AP
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