Has Tun Mahathir finally met his match?

UMNO President Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s speech at the party’s general assembly on Thursday has drawn all kinds of responses.

Interestingly, when he highlighted the need for party leaders to close ranks, he somehow managed to really tick off his critics.

One of them who seems to have taken offense at what was said, is Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Hours after Najib concluded his speech, Mahathir met with hundreds of delegates and branch chiefs from UMNO Kedah, to reiterate his stand that the current president must step down.

Mahathir's argument was concise: Get rid of Najib or Barisan Nasional will be staring at defeat in the next general election.

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I was present as this meeting, and I must say, Najib's speech has somehow galvanised Mahathir’s resolve.

Accompanied by his long time ally, Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, the 90-year-old was dishing out one sarcastic remark after another, highlighting Najib's shortcomings.

Most in the audience were in awe as they cheered at his every statement, laughed at his witty jokes. It was another vintage performance.

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But as I continued to closely observe Mahathir in action, a thought dawned upon me: Is this man able to put Najib into submission?

Despite Mahathir's best efforts, Najib's influence in UMNO does not seem to have diminished. In my opinion, it’s actually grown in strength.

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Then a member of the audience asked Mahathir, why not resign from UMNO, like he did when he was battling Najib's predecessor Tun Abdullah Badawi?

His reply?

A dry smile, which could be interpreted a million different ways. Sanusi chipped in by saying, this time 'it is a different ball game'.

"We will die fighting in the ring," Sanusi added, implying that Najib cannot be toppled from the outside; the movement must be from within UMNO itself.

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It was then that I realised: Mahathir has finally met his match.

But, I wouldn't count the old man out just yet.

After all, you need to have a lot of fight in you, to win five consecutive elections.

MUST READ: Najib admits he is hurt by Tun M's attacks

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With the UMNO General Assembly 2015 coming to a close, Hafiz Marzukhi is betting that this political saga is far from over. In the meantime, you can direct your comments to hafiz_marzukhi@astro.com.my

The opinions and views expressed in this article are personally those of the author's, and do not necessarily reflect those of Astro AWANI.