Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's call for senior Barisan Nasional leaders to step aside for new faces will bring no benefit to the nation and people if the young leaders are to continue the current system of administration which lacks transparency and accountability.

Chairperson of Malay NGO Teras Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said Malaysians can do well without leaders, be they young or old, who uphold a system where corrupt practices are left unchecked.

"What is the point of having new, younger faces when they carry on the same old system? What we need are leaders who can promise us an accountable government that practises total transparency," he said when contacted.

He argued that the age factor is not an important yardstick in evaluating a leader, adding that credibility and conduct are the hallmarks of a good leader.

"Whether a leader has to go or not depends on his ability in upholding the people's confidence. Indeed veterans and old guards who no longer have the confidence of the populace should leave," he said.

They should go

Among the "old guards" in the BN who he felt should make a graceful exit are International Trade and Industries Minister Rafidah Aziz, Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Isa Abdul Samad and Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

"Such leaders should take heed of the PM's advice and make way for others but I doubt they will do so," he said.

He also opined that Mahathir could have made the statement with the intention to allow his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to build his own team when he takes over the premiership on Nov 1.

Meanwhile, Keadilan vice president Azmin Ali felt that Mahathir "probably wanted to cause trouble" to Abdullah with his statement.

"Mahathir himself did not give younger leaders a chance when he was in power because he was afraid that they would challenge him. Now, he does not want to give Pak Lah a "smooth sailing", so he opened the gates (to young leaders)," he said.

Saying that the advice was "10 years too late", Azmin felt that had Mahathir given the advice earlier, Umno would have ample time to groom new leaders and ensure a smooth transition of leadership.

"Why (did he) make the statement now, two weeks before his retirement? Nothing can be done because many dynamic and capable young leaders were shut off. That is why we see many youths who are now with the opposition - they knew they had no chance in Umno," he said.

Azmin also believed that Mahathir's advice will be ignored by the veteran politicians in Umno whom he described as "irrelevant".

"I have been in Umno, so I know their attitude. They will only listen to leaders in power. Now that Mahathir is leaving, they will probably ignore him."

Lack of confidence

PAS youth chief Salahuddin Ayub believed that the advice may have been caused by the prime minister's own lack of confidence in the ability of the veteran politicians who will be in power after his retirement.

"Deep in his heart, he probably believes that no one among them are as good as he is - including Pak Lah who is also a veteran. At the end of his career, he suddenly realised these people who had been with him for the past 20 years have no substance whatsoever," he said.

"So I think leaders like MIC president Samy Vellu and Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud should follow what their colleagues in the MCA (where its two top leaders resigned to make way for new leaders) had done. They've been there for too long and have done little for the people."

Asked if any PAS veteran leaders should "feel the heat" from Mahathir's statement, Salahuddin said the age factor is irrelevant to the party which emphasises on capability and performance.

The movement, he said, is satisfied with the leadership of the veteran leaders in PAS but will not hesitate to criticise them if they are proven to be ineffective in future.

Expose younger leaders

The only opposition member who fully supported the call was DAP's M Manoharan who also hoped that leaders from opposition parties, including DAP, would heed the prime minister's advice.

"I sincerely hope that Lim Kit Siang (left) and Karpal Singh (DAP's chairperson and deputy respectively) would retire soon and allow new faces to lead the party to greater heights," he said.

He said Lim and Karpal should trust younger party leaders like Teng Chang Khim and Lim Guan Eng to continue the party's struggle.

"Expose the new and younger faces to public life. This will make them learn the ropes. In the end, the party will benefit", he said.

Manoharan felt that BN leaders like Gerakan president Lim Keng Yaik and BN secretary general Mohamad Rahmat should respond to the prime minister's call expeditiously.

"Although many will say that (MIC president) Samy Vellu (photo) should also go, I feel that he is an exception to the rule. Samy should remain until he can groom a leader who can replace him as his deputy S Subramaniam is also old. Maybe someone like S Sothinathan (the party's secretary general) can be groomed," he said.

Manoharan believed that the prime minister's statement is also directed at PAS as the party has several veterans who have been in their positions for too long.