KUALA LUMPUR: Political observers believe that appointing Tun Dr. Mahathir as the representative to address the Palestine issue internationally wouldn't have yielded significantly different results as the current approach.
Analyst Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Dr Azmi Hassan said that though Dr Mahathir would be an appropriate candidate, as suggested by former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, he said that it would negatively impact the government.
"Dr Mahathir being Dr Mahathir, he would like to do things his way and it might not be in line with the government's wishes.
"The appointment itself would be redundant especially since there will not be much of a difference on the country's stance and the outcome of the issue itself.
"Besides, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has time and time again proved he can be vocal and strict when speaking about the fate of the people in Gaza," he said when contacted.
Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) Faculty of Law and International Relations senior lecturer Dr Wan Rohila Ganti Wan Abdul Ghapar said that other prominent Muslim leaders during Dr Mahathir's era were also vocal over the Palestine issue, yet, nothing much had changed.
She said solutions and struggles for the Palestine issue should not be romanticised with particular Muslim leaders.
"Sending Tun (Mahathir) of course would turn down Anwar's image, hence this would never happen.
"The supposed uniting issue under humanity and justice now has divided the people and become a political weapon to attack the Prime Minister and his Cabinet.
"Opposition took this issue to label him (Anwar) as liberal and pro-West despite his endless efforts, and at the same time put non-Muslims in a state of worrying that we are busy with other state's affairs while we are having internal economic slowdown and other worrying issues," she said.
It was reported that Khairy mooted the 'out of box' idea of appointing Dr Mahathir to represent the country in the 8th Extraordinary Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC). held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Centre recently.
He said that the former premier could have significantly enhanced the country's presence on the global stage and that Dr Mahathir would have brought "a different level of gravitas" to such meetings, especially concerning the issue of Palestine, Free Malaysia Today reported.