The event that unfolded in Alor Setar was premeditated. That is agiven. The symbolic gesture could not have been coincidental. Deep within the confines of his den, where in 1964 he was elected the member of parliament for Kota Setar, Mahathir announced that he is ready to make a full cycle in UMNO. From its greatest villain, to its finest hero, now he has decided to leave UMNO at the most critical juncture in its history.

Mahathir left an enduring legacy. This is also a given. For the most part, his legacies can be seen when you drive around Kuala Lumpur. Towering infrastructures hides his true legacy to Malaysians. His blend of authoritarian and economic leadership created many deep rooted problems in Malaysia’s governance. In fact, many analysts believe the fight for his legacy was his main grouse with his successor. In 2004, when Abdullah Badawi announced that he was going to make sweeping changes to end corruption, promote transparency was seen to be a direct criticism of his blend of leadership.

For many UMNO rank and file members, he should have left the party a long time ago. the day he stepped out to criticize the Government in the manner and magnitude that has earned its pages in the annals of UMNO’s history. During the recent General Elections, especially in the Malay heartland, it wasn’t the Nik Aziz’s sembahyang hajat stunt that was the greatest to overcome, it wasn’t Anwar’s explanation of how he is going to reduce oil prices for all citizens that proved a nightmare, it was Mahathir’s plea to deny Barisan Nasional a two third majority that proved a mountain too high to climb.

The first question that comes to mind is why now?. With Tengku Razaleigh and Tan Sri Muhyiddin poised to make a challenge, wouldn’t it be better for Mahathir to reach his personal objective of unseating Abdullah by throwing his support behind one of the two candidates?. Maybe he should have used his influence to provide a compromise for the two candidates. This points to one undeniable fact. Mahathir knows the UMNO ground. He knows neither of this candidate can get the support even in the nomination stage.

His only hope is the Deputy Prime Minister, with the strength of UMNO grassroot that even surpasses the influence he has built over the last 59 years in UMNO, Najib would be the man to end Abdullah’s premiership. One can assume that the two hour meeting held recently did not achieve its objective. Najib’s refusal to challenge Abdullah leaves Mahathir with a single choice - to make a clear statement of dissent