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Mahathir should be recalled to Lingam Tape RCI now that he has recovered his “elephant memory”

Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has clearly recovered his “elephant memory” from his comments on the death of former Indonesian President Suharto.

Mahathir told Bernama that accounts the former Indonesian leader killed some 500,000 people after taking power in 1965 were “absolute nonsense”.

He said: “I know this for a fact. I knew what happened. Indonesia was in a state of anarchy then and he has no authority. At the time of the killings, he was not even the president. He did not order the killing.”

Mahathir, who ruled for two decades before stepping down in 2003, said he regarded Suharto as a friend of Malaysia and a personal friend.

“We looked up to him as a great leader and as an international statesman. For me, it’s quite personal. I know him and I have worked with him for a very long time.

“Even though Indonesia was not an ideal democracy during Suharto’s time, the fact remained that he brought stability to Indonesia.”

Mahathir added: “Of course, there is a price to be paid,” acknowledging that some people had suffered under Suharto’s administration.

Without getting into a debate on Mahathir’s assessment of Suharto’s leadership of Indonesia, it is good to see Mahathir’s recovery from his recent lapse of memory. He gave his comments on Suharto with confidence and authority, in total command of his memory.

This was very unlike his appearance before the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Lingam Tape eleven days ago on January 17, when he had to repeatedly plead loss of memory in his 90-minute testimony.

Asked why he rejected the recommendation of the then Chief Justice, Tun Dzaiddin Abdullah to appoint Dr. Andrew Chew Peng Hui and Zainuddin Ismail as judges, Mahathir replied: “I don’t remember my reasons.”

Asked whether he could recall that before Ahmad Fairuz was recommended as chief judge of Malaya, Dzaiddin had nominated Malek Ahmad, Mahathir said: “I can’t remember precisely.”

There was this Q & A between Mahathir and Dzaiddin’s counsel, Wong Chong Wah:

Wong: Do you remember whether, when Dzaiddin recommended Malek Ahmad, you rejected his suggestion?

Dr Mahathir: I can’t remember him recommending to me.

Wong: A letter dated Aug 19, 2002, from Dzaiddin to you, suggests that he had made an earlier recommendation for Malek Ahmad to be chief judge of Malaya. Did you agree to Dzaiddin’s recommendation at that stage?

Dr Mahathir: I don’t remember whether I agreed or not. I’ve read this
letter but I don’t recall any decision I made on Malek Ahmad.

Now that Mahathir has recovered his “elephant memory” he should be recalled to the RCI on Lingam Tape to throw light on the many dubious and devious decisions he made affecting the judiciary particularly during the last 15 years of his 22-year premiership where he single-handedly destroyed national and international confidence in the independence, integrity and quality of the judiciary.

77 Replies to “Mahathir should be recalled to Lingam Tape RCI now that he has recovered his “elephant memory””

  2. Why did Eusoff Chin tell the RCI that he is a pensioner?
    At the start of his testimony, Eusoff, 73, told the court interpreter that he was a “pensioner.”
    (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/19/nation

    But see BINTULU PORT HOLDINGS BERHAD:

    CHAIRMAN
    Y. A. Bhg. Tun Dato’ Seri Hj Mohd Eusoff bin Chin
    (http://www.bpsb.com.my)

    Bintulu Ports is a company listed on the KLSE.One doubts if its chairman could be considered a “pensioner”.

  3. wahahaha…no point…everybody knows that he is just competing with Eusoff Chin to say ” i cant really remember”..hahaha… he should be awarded Oscar award for his brilliant performance in acting…well done Dr. mahathir..haha…

  4. From The Business Times, Malaysia
    Eusoff is chairman of Alcatel’s Malaysian unit

    PARIS-based Alcatel has named Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin as the chairman of its Malaysian subsidiary, Alcatel Network Systems (M) Sdn Bhd. Alcatel managing director in Malaysia, Datuk Yusof Ampuan Kecil, said the combination of Eusoff’s leadership ability and extensive government service will be an asset to the company.

    Eusoff was the Chief Justice of Malaysia for six years until his retirement in 2000.

    Eusoff, in a statement released in Kuala Lumpur, said since retiring from government service, “I have been looking for an opportunity to further contribute to our country’s development.

    “In accepting this offer from Alcatel, I have found that opportunity, given the vital role that technology will play in Malaysia’s future,” he added.
    (17 January 2006 Business Times)

  6. “This was very unlike his appearance before the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Lingam Tape eleven days ago on January 17, when he had to repeatedly plead loss of memory in his 90-minute testimony.” – YB Lim

    Perhaps they should have checked if his pants was soiled at the end of the 90-minute testimony. If it was, then they should have pity on him.

  7. Don’t waste time on the stubborn fool called mahathir. He has screwed Malaysia big time last 22 years. He has proven to the whole country that he’s biggest LIAR during the RCI.

    He defended a dictator like himself and he’s trying to protect his own legacy here. I bet his legacy will soon be gone before his passing.

    He failed us during the RCI, just like has failed us in his 22 years of dictatorship. He was drving a Porsche without any passengers, just himself!

  8. Tun Dr Mahathir will say that it is also his prerogative to remember important things of interest to him (like whether allegations about Suharto killing some 500,000 people after taking power in 1965 were true) and forget unimportant things like why he chose Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh as chief justice over Tan Sri Abdul Malek Ahmad or why the nomination of two lawyers – Dr Andrew Chew and Zainuddin Ismail – nominated for High Court judge positions were rejected by him.

    But then everything about Mahathir appears “selective” right from his selective memory to his much touted policy achievement of selective capital controls to ward of the hedge fund currency attackers.

    His statement that “Even though Indonesia was not an ideal democracy during Suharto’s time, the fact remained that he brought stability to Indonesia – of course, there is a price to be paid” can be almost be substituted as what might well amount to his own view and defence of his own political legacy : that is, “Even though Malaysia was not an ideal democracy during Mahathir’s time, the fact remained that he brought stability to Malaysia – of course, there is a price to be paid”.

    But what price is that for us Malaysians to pay – increased racial polarization, Islamisation leading to body snatching and moral policing after article 121(1)A constitutional amendment and declaration of this an Islamic state; a system of administration of justice where good judges of integrity and conscience were replaced by those whose main qualification was to be able to “bodek” and to seek favours based on political influence ?

    By the ways are going, it looks as if both TDM and his idol the late Suharto whom he admires, would be able to avoid a full accounting to the public for what they have done, by way of legacy to the nation, during their respective reigns.

  9. 500,000 people were killed & it’s nonesense? Ask the Indonesians, they would tell you more than 3 millions were killed, including people loyal to Sukarno and many Communists/farmers fighting for the right to own a small piece of land.

    This guy could not stop lying…..after lying for decades, one would have done the right thing by speaking the truth for the country to heal and move forward.

  11. Suharto, his family, and his cronies were a bunch of ruthless crooks and everyone knows it!
    Its hard to see why the great Tun and his pals are so admiring of such a character in this day and age.

  12. mahathir mudah lupa.
    he is a much quieter guy now since the linggam-gate scandal broke eh? doesnt say much now days.

    i hope all those mahathir supporters will mark “X” to DAP/PKR/PAS

    please do not vote independents cause independents usually run back to BN if they win. for example, that sandakan MP chap.

  15. The Haidar Commission in ruling not to admit evidence on fixing of court decisions has severely affected public confidence that the present administration is serious in restoring the rule of law in Malaysia.
    [ ]
    The purpose and objective of the Enquiry is to assure both the Malaysian public and foreigners that judges in Malaysia dispense justice without fear or favour. Unfortunately, instead of adopting a robust approach to surgically remove the cancer of corruption in the judiciary in all its forms, the Commissioners adopt at a restricted interpretation of its term of reference and thereby exclude investigation into the most malignant form of corruption that decisions of the Courts in Malaysia can be fixed.
    http://anwaribrahimblog.com/2008/01/29/keengganan-menerima-bukti-menghakis-keyakinan/#respond

  18. It is real scary to learn that almost every strata of the judiciary is plagued by corruption. And also those few ‘privilleged’rouge lawyers and ‘despicable’ tycoons and businessmen control them.
    If any poor guys like us were to come against those sinners under those judges, no God can help us!
    Ha!Ha! This is the sad state of affairs we are in.
    Pak Lah, please do not shout the stupid slogans like “I will clean up corruption” – My toes laugh
    “Work with me and not for me” – My nose is tickle
    “I have big ears” – Oh shit, my goose pimples keep popping up.
    “I care for the rakyat”, my @@@@-h is crying

  19. “He has to praise the former Indon dictator to set an example so that same will accord him when he’s gone. There’s fear many will piss on his grave when he’s gone!” – Jong

    Unless this incredible man makes good his equally incredible testimony, if the R-toothless-C-tiger-I would be open to his recall that is, he will be relentlessly plagued by credibility crisis for the rest of his, what I would wish, long life.

    But it is magnanimous of Mahathir to come out and say some nice words on the passing of Suharto. But when it eventually comes to his, many honest though equally ruthless leaders would rather remain silent.

  21. “Still no sign of Mahathir willing to repent, what a shame. One former dictator’s gone and the other on queue.” Jong (must be you this time)

    Really I am lingam-fatigue already. There is no way TDM is going to sit in front of the judges that he helped installed. The present mess is his handiwork, just why should he help us to sort this out? Just as he is not obliged to give reasons how he chose judges, he is not obligated to answer us too. This is his legacy. (Tun Salleh is stirring in his grave.)

  23. Wow, he can even remember events as far back as 1965 ….42 years ago and not be able to remember one that is even less than 10 years ago!
    Are you trying to tell us it’s your prerogative to choose what to remember and what not?That is also probably why it takes a chap like you to think of this ‘Malaysia Boleh’ thing.

  25. TDM survived 2 open heart surgery within the space of 2 weeks. God has been merciful to him and is giving him a unique chance to come forward to the nation he has ruled for 22 years to clear up whatever cancerous mess that he thinks he has created that plaques the country now.(This is not to say that he has not done anything good for his country).

    Sadly he chose his God given life to play ‘forget’!

  26. Current PM has elephant ears that hear selective voices.
    Ex PM has elephant memory that remembers selective events.
    Interesting common traits.

    God has been merciful to TDM – maybe to give him a chance to listen directly to the voices of Malaysians, to praise or to condemn him. God is merciful!

  29. Asked why he rejected the recommendation of the then Chief Justice, …., Mahathir replied: “I don’t remember my reasons. Asked whether he could recall …, Mahathir said: “I can’t remember precisely.”

    In the art of advocacy, during cross-examination of the witness, you don’t ask questions of a witness the answers to which you don’t know. Counsel must have known that he would plead loss of memory. Ask him questions answers to which which he can remember, then ask him a question to which he can and should remember the answer but which you know he would say he does not. It goes to his credibility and he would be made to look like a fool, a witness who cannot be believed to speak the truth.

    However, this is the stage of information gathering.

  31. “There is no way TDM is going to sit in front of the judges that he helped installed. The present mess is his handiwork, just why should he help us to sort this out?” oknyua

    Listen up, folks! Mahathir is not a witness of truth. How could he be when speaking the truth would incriminate himself?! His only line of defense is “I don’t remember” and to prolong this line of questioning would be to make his examiners look like fools.

  34. Linigam on Lingam III was seen drinking red wine. He only drinks wine a habit he acquired after the numerous dinings he kept at the Inn of Court in London when port is served. He is not a habitual drinker which is obvious from the way he held his wine glass.

    So when Lingam says he becomes tipsy after two glasses I believe he’s speaking the truth. He was tipsy because of the way he put down his wine glass with a thump! But wait a minute! When you are tipsy doesn’t the truth come out of you like water does when the floodgates are opened?

  35. I heard that when Mahathir stepped into the inquiry room, all the people in the room, including the commissioners, stood up. And today, in Malaysiakini, he said he fears corruption in the coming general election. What baloney! The great architect of corruption and cronyism is now talking about corruption in this country. How can we let him off so lightly? Can we not see the pattern here? Almost all former strongmen in the region with chequered past are protected, live comfortably with the best of medical care till they die naturally. The only institution Asia governments have inculcated since the end of colonialism is the institution of protection former corrupted leaders. The rest of the institutions of governance they systematically destroyed.

    Sdr Lim, the general election is getting really near. I hope you can solicit from the bloggers the issues which the oppositions, particularly the DAP, should focus on. We have so many issues confronting us and I think it is pointless to shoot everywhere. We ought to focus on a few that matter to most people. Seriously, what about no toll within all metropolitan areas, be it KL, JB, and Penang? It is the duty of the government to provide roads as cities expand. Car owners have paid enough taxes, both car related and personal taxes. If the government chooses to spend it on everything else except building roads, that is their problem. Collecting toll within metropolitan areas not only imposes burden on the people but also causes unnecessary traffic diversion and traffic jams. NO TOLL Within Metropolitan areas.

  36. what election?! I have written many emails to MPAJ to tengok2 my belakang rumah – the playground has been run down, the park lights no lampu, they never repair one … so i dont believe election is around the corner yet!!!!

  39. “I heard that when Mahathir stepped into the inquiry room, all the people in the room, including the commissioners, stood up.” limkamput

    Would the judge stand up when Mahathir takes the witness stand? It’d be fun to watch. Would Mahathir stand up when Prime Minister Abdullah walks in? That too would be fun to watch.

    When the President of the United States is subpoenaed to give evidence in court, he does so as a witness – not as President. So you won’t see judges standing up when he walks into the court room.

  42. The tip of the tongue (TOT) phenomenon is an instance of knowing something that cannot immediately be recalled. TOT is a near-universal experience with memory recollection involving difficulty retrieving a well-known word or familiar name. When experiencing TOT, people feel that the blocked word is on the verge of being recovered. Despite failure in finding the word, people have the feeling that the blocked word is figuratively “on the tip of the tongue.” Inaccessibility and the sense of imminence are two key features of an operational definition of TOTs (A.S. Brown, 1991).

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tip_of_the_tongue

  43. Amnesia (from Greek ???????) (see spelling differences) is a condition in which memory is disturbed. The causes of amnesia are organic or functional. Organic causes include damage to the brain, through trauma or disease, or use of certain (generally sedative) drugs. Functional causes are psychological factors, such as defense mechanisms. Hysterical post-traumatic amnesia is an example of this. Amnesia may also be spontaneous, in the case of transient global amnesia[1]. This global type of amnesia is more common in middle-aged to elderly people, particularly males, and usually lasts less than 24 hours.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesia

  44. Amnesia (from Greek ???????) (see spelling differences) is a condition in which memory is disturbed. The causes of amnesia are organic or functional. Organic causes include damage to the brain, through trauma or disease, or use of certain (generally sedative) drugs. Functional causes are psychological factors, such as defense mechanisms. Hysterical post-traumatic amnesia is an example of this. Amnesia may also be spontaneous, in the case of transient global amnesia[1]. This global type of amnesia is more common in middle-aged to elderly people, particularly males, and usually lasts less than 24 hours.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesia

  45. izrafeil says , 21;09
    ……so i don’t believe election is around the corner yet !!.

    notice the big BN flag in flats compound in front of Masjid pandan indah and resurfacing of roads in Tmn Muda.

  46. Amnesia (from Greek ???????) (see spelling differences) is a condition in which memory is disturbed. The causes of amnesia are organic or functional. Organic causes include damage to the brain, through trauma or disease, or use of certain (generally sedative) drugs. Functional causes are psychological factors, such as defense mechanisms. Hysterical post-traumatic amnesia is an example of this. Amnesia may also be spontaneous, in the case of transient global amnesia[1]. This global type of amnesia is more common in middle-aged to elderly people, particularly males, and usually lasts less than 24 hours.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesia

  47. Amnesia (from Greek ???????) (see spelling differences) is a condition in which memory is disturbed. The causes of amnesia are organic or functional. Organic causes include damage to the brain, through trauma or disease, or use of certain (generally sedative) drugs. Functional causes are psychological factors, such as defense mechanisms. Hysterical post-traumatic amnesia is an example of this. Amnesia may also be spontaneous, in the case of transient global amnesia[1]. This global type of amnesia is more common in middle-aged to elderly people, particularly males, and usually lasts less than 24 hours.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesia

  49. Mahathir has been quiet until today for the following reasons:
    1) He had to keep a low profile because he was not sure how the Lingam Tape was going to pan out. Now that the inquiry is “going well”, he can talk and remember again.
    2) His pet company, Proton, has remained in Malaysian hands,
    3) His cronies can now milk the double-track railway project,
    4) He has a heart problem (if not mistaken, it started a few days after the Altantuya explosion…”alamak, the guy that I expect to protect me is implicated…arghh”.
    All is not lost though. There is still the outstanding issue of the crooked bridge project. He will be “critical” of Abdullah’s administration until the crooked bridge is revived. When that is done, he will most likely put his feet up and disappear into the sunset.

  50. It is sad that it took so many years for Malaysians with ‘poor memory ‘ to find out that they were all taken for an eternal ride by someone who can choose to forget or to remember whenever it suits his fancy. His followers and cronies hero whoreship him and said that without him we would not be where we are. Thay are right! Without his mode of ‘piratization’ this country would not have to carry all the shits he had burdened the nation with. I don’t think you can count them with your fingers, you will need your toes too!

  52. The man has an elephant’s memory, and I just find it hard to believe he really could not remember the various incidents asked of him in the Royal Commission hearing. He is no Ronald Reagan in terms of suffering from Alzheimer but he is in terms of being a good actor. And he is a very smart man, not easy to pin down by desultory questioning on the commissioners’ part, especially after they had shown such deference of standing up when he made his entrance.

    And maybe they had rightly stood up in deference to this great Malaysian “statesman” (in the local context especially where talent pool, especially amongst politicians, is small) who put the country on the international map.

    I use the word ‘great’ in restricted and special sense, which has nothing to do with the moral criteria of good or bad but the amoral criteria of being measured against the sheer effect or impact on the country in terms of the couse the country took during and after his time.

    For Malaysian history records no phenomenon like him. And no Prime Minister before or immediately after him had produced so incredible accelerations in the pace of Malaysian history, and I don’t mean just lifting or transforming Malaysia from agrarian to Industrial base (which earned him a description from Times Magazine as “Father of Development” or adopting unorthodox capital controls against hedge funds (against conventional IMF’s wisdom of acceding to market forces and biting the bullet) but changing the whole fabric of Malaysian society from pluralistic to polarized society, secular to Islamic and a relatively independent judiciary to something many Malaysians would perceive as subservient to Executive especially in light of the Lingam video clip.

    His peculiar claim to greatness within the limited scope of Malaysian politics is unfortunately unconnected to laying the important foundations of nation building for the future but linked instead to the quality of sheer excess – whether mega projects and their wastage, Islamisation etc, sacking judges, hypocrisy, or being the first PM to openly criticize his anointed successor etc…

    As leader then he was a tremendous eruption of energy that forces his indomitable will on the course the country would take, for better or worse.

    If it was for the worse he is also able to escape public accountability by, in part, the sheer force of his personality and intelligence, and in part the uncanny ability to confound his critics and detractors alike. Examples of that confounding of critics/detractors alike, taken from Malaysiakini report of Jan 29th are: –

    · he recently “lashed the government as ‘weak’ (and comparatively less popular) but said he feared that vote-buying (money politics) would be deployed to stem its losses in upcoming general elections…”I hope that this kind of money politics – I know a lot of people are collecting a lot of money now – if they use money politics the result may not reflect the true feeling of the people….I fear corruption of the voters,” he said (This is as if he did not know money politics was prevalent under his administration and watch);

    · then he “criticised its (govt’s) decision to jail ethnic Indian protesters (Hindraf), saying the minority community had no way of airing its grievances, and that a wave of public protests was inspired by the government’s repeated errors. He further said, “no, I don’t think they should have thrown (Hindraf) leaders (into detention), they should have met these people first and had proper discussion.”

    · Of Anwar, he said, “There is no more political future for (Anwar)… If he thinks he is going to be the prime minister, he is daydreaming.”

    His critics and detractors are confounded because they don’t know whether to criticize and disparage him and continue exposing the failures of his administration or restrain themselves to forgive (let bygones be bygones) and support him and treat him as an ally since nowadays he is talking in such liberal and democratic terms in opposition to the government of the day, which he alone apears to be placed in the unique vantage place to criticize the Powers-That-be, without mincing words, and yet enjoy immunity from whether persecution or prosecution.

    So the question invariably arises – is he trying to really and sincerely make amends for his failures of his administration of 22 years or is it just another ‘show’ just so that his legacy will not be condemned in the history books in the generations to come after him?

    The desire to protect his legacy in the evening of his eventful life lies in this cue of what he said of Suharto – “Even though Indonesia was not an ideal democracy during Suharto’s time, the fact remained that he brought stability to Indonesia – of course, there is a price to be paid”…..

    He is indirectly pleading for an understanding that in his case he did it his way (his favourite song is “My Way” by Frank Sinatra) of what he thought best at that time for the country, and it might well be his belief that nothing could be achieved unless this country evinces strong, and even authoritarian leadership to push things through, never mind (in his case) the Judiciary might be the first casualty…

    I don’t know whether he is sincere but surely many Malaysians will not be in the position of saying “I can’t remember” as he did in the RC hearing, and we will be in the position to adjudge objectively the kind of political legacy bequeathed.

    Also there’s an old saying – you can fool some people some time but not all the people all the time! :)

  54. Jeffrey:

    He corrupted the whole system of check & balance to the point where whoever sits as leader of the country finds it extremely convenient to perpetuate. Mahathir has a deep understanding of human nature – that greed transcends everything in politics, and that the wave of greed will simply drown any leader who believes in “doing the right thing”. Badawi now finds the situation that he inherited as very convenient for what he wants to do for his cronies and relatives. Why would he want to change by making Mahathir accountable for the “mess”? In fact, Badawi probably thinks that Mahathir has left behind an incredibly beneficial policy for UMNO’s leaders, and that if Mahathir were to leave this world tomorrow, Badawi will no doubt hail him as the father of modern Malaysia – and not as the villain who corrupted the future of Malaysia that some of us will remember Mahathir by.

  55. “We ought to focus on a few that matter to most people. Seriously, what about no toll within all metropolitan areas, be it KL, JB, and Penang? “, limkamput.

    Good point.

    DAP should really focus on issues that are affecting the daily life of the people. DAP MUST promise the best solutions if DAP wins.

    Other issues are like rate reduction for Income Tax. Import Duty slashes to zero for all imported cars. Even the abnormally high Passport fee could become an issue too.

  57. Godfather, well said again. What you said was Mahathir’s sole legacy, nothing else. This country grew despite of not because of him. Presided over Malaysia for more than 20 years during period when the whole of Asia was experiencing massive foreign investment inflow and transformation, how can we attribute the change to him? No, Mahathir did not transform this country. This country would have transformed itself. Don’t give him credit for nothing.

  58. Shame on the Commissioners if they stood up when TDM appeared as a witness. They have insulted the standing of their own commission.

    After all, he is now just like the rest of us, an ordinary citizen.
    I used to admire TDM for he was able to do so many things in Malaysia. In fact I went to one open house in the old Prime Minister’s residence with my daughter.

    Maybe he was so capable he overdid everything including creating a Judiciary that is now the object of much derision.

    Malaysians should have now learned the painful lesson that giving too much power to leaders in times of peace is a major mistake.
    We really need to have a police force of integrity and a judiciary that is not tainted.
    Whatever TDM achieved in terms of strong leadership, these 2 major defects are now the problems in Malaysia.

  59. “Even though Indonesia was not an ideal democracy during Suharto’s time, the fact remained that he brought stability to Indonesia.” …DR M
    ……………………
    Oppp ! no wonder Dr.M did what did to Malaysia.. As long as there is stability .. it’s alright to kill the “bastard “!

    Sorry Dr.M, there will be tears when you go like your friend.. but you also know you will have someone waiting on the other side with all the “Tape Recordings” since the day you were born ..

    Good Luck..

  60. “…I just find it hard to believe he really could not remember the various incidents asked of him in the Royal Commission hearing. He is no Ronald Reagan..” Jeffrey

    You must remember. He started out wanting to be a lawyer and not a doctor. Tunku was instrumental in refusing the Kedah State scholarship for him to go to U.K. to study law in the 50s. Instead the Kedah State government offered him a cheaper scholarship to study medicine at a local university, University of Malaya in Singapore where he also met his future wife.

    Now is the time for Mahathir to act as his own advocate. To lie under oath is perjury, to pretend not to remember is not.

  62. /// And maybe they had rightly stood up in deference to this great Malaysian “statesman” (in the local context especially where talent pool, especially amongst politicians, is small) who put the country on the international map.

    I use the word ‘great’ in restricted and special sense,… ///

    Jeff, I was about to challenge you… but then saw what you actually wrote. I am glad you wrote statesman in quotation marks and you qualify the word ‘great’…

    Just to add – the rapid economic growth during that era was due to the booming region, not least due to Japan “outsourcing” its lower value-add industries to the region and the “cheap” financing available then due to the low USD interest rate and informal peg of the regional currencies to the USD. Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia were all booming due to the bubble. The liberalisation of the financial sector in the region, especially in Bangkok, also added to the bubble. The excesses let to the crash of the Thai Baht, resulting in the Asian Financial Crisis.

    So, yes, there was an incredible acceleration during TDM’s reign, but high tides lift all boats; heck, even turkeys can fly during a strong wind…

  63. Jeffrey, that was a ‘master piece’, very well said!
    Mahathir is no “statesman”. He’s a devil in disguise.

    I am also impressed by limkamput’s suggestion of eradicating tolls within metropolitan areas of KL, JB and Penang. I think that’s a fantastic idea which DAP and the ‘united front’ should take up.

    Yes, I agree “It is the duty of the government to provide roads as cities expand. NO TOLL Within Metropolitan areas.”!

  65. The day TDM entered politics, he left his principles and conscience behind. He is one person totally without principle and that’s why he can do things every which way he likes. That’s why Malaysia is in a mess, though superficially we have many external soul-less forms.

  66. Imagine country’s economy under the damaging NEP policies restricting and limiting free market enterprise for real growth and job creation if the private sector did not work very hard around its failed policies!

    The private sector with its hard working ordinary people are the backbone of the country’s economy growth….the public sector lost billions due to gross financial incompetent.

  67. “To lie under oath is perjury, to pretend not to remember is not.”

    undergrad2,

    So lying to the RCI that you cannot remember is not lying? I thought lying means when you are not telling the truth

  71. //Badawi now finds the situation that he inherited as very convenient for what he wants to do for his cronies and relatives. Why would he want to change by making Mahathir accountable for the “mess”? //
    – Godfather

    Which means the next person to inherits the PM’s seat will not want to change since the whole corrupt system since benefit him also? We have one village idiot and its already so bad what more to imagine if and when Najib takes over from him? That guy’s dangerous, conniving!

    Time for change of government Malaysians, let’s kick BN out, no “ifs” not “buts” ! Let 2008 be year of change for the better!

  73. undergrad2, so lying to the RCI that you cannot remember is not lying? I thought lying means when you are not telling the truth? ” kathanboy

    Can you prove that a witness is lying when he said he could not remember?

    There is a procedure allowed in court called ‘memory refreshing’ i.e. when you use written records made contemporaneously and are therefore accurate, to refresh the memory of a witness. But the record itself is not evidence because to admit it would be to infringe on the common law rule against heresay.

  74. iggy Says:
    Today at 03: 51.19 (18 hours ago)
    PM LIED about the competitiveness ranking of our country!!
    His latest efforts to bolster support for BN!
    http://www.imd.ch/research/publications/wcy/upload/scoreboard.pdf

    I think the ranking iggy referred to is the overall ranking. What the PM highlighted was the government delivery ranking. You see, the overall ranking is made up of many variables one of which is government delivery. Just to clarify in case we are accused for inaccuracy.

  75. TDM certainly remembers the relationahips he had with his four deputies, especially why the four of them were appointed. How many Chief justices and Lord presidents were apponted suring his watch; at most half a dozen. TDM did not simply endorse the candidates suggested for the position of of LP or CJ. He would have given careful consideration about the candidates because these appointments had to be approved by the Conferences of the Rulers. He would have to be prepared to justify why the candidates were suggested, and for that he would have a list of persons who were considered second best for those positions, such as Malek Ahmad whom the rulers certainly were aware of his calibre to be considered for appointment as CJ. It is therefore intersesting that TDM claimed that he could not remember precisely that Malek Ahmad was nominated as CJ by his boss. What did TDM remember even if not precisely?

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