Mokhzani Mahathir Quits Umno

According to The Star, businessman and former Youth treasurer Mokhzani Mahathir has quit Umno, two days after his father Tun Dr Mahathir stunned the nation when he resigned from the party.

The Mahathir storm now enhanced by his son's resignation will continue to ripple through Umno for some time.

Party members are still trying to make sense of the stunning news. The full repercussions will be clearer soon.

There is bound to be some degree of sympathy or feelings of “kasihan” among the Umno rank and file however much they disagree with his action.

Many Umno leaders said he did not have to take things to such an extreme degree to force a leadership change because the majority of people in the party were already in agreement that Umno needs a leadership transition.

But the trouble is Dr Mahathir wants to fast-forward the change at the top while the majority in the party is willing to go along with the idea of a smooth transition.

Leaving the party this way has further destabilised the already unsettled mood in Umno.

But Dr Mahathir will be Dr Mahathir, always strong-willed, opinionated and domineering.

No one can really tell him what to do even as he tries to tell Abdullah what to do.

But no one should assume he will end his critique even though he's out of Umno. (The Star)