Kee Thuan Chye | Feb 25, 2012
Malaysiakini
COMMENT
Dr Mahathir Mohamad should talk straight or just shut up.
Whenever he rebuts allegations of wrongdoing during his tenure as prime minister, he appears to sound not only defensive but deceptive as well.
Now he says the government’s bailout of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in 2000, during his premiership, was “not the worst”. What does that mean? Is he saying that the bailout was all right simply because it was not the worst?
If he is still of sound mind and can understand this, let me say it is not all right. So what if it was not the worst act of using public funds? It was nonetheless committed. Should only the worst be held accountable?
That bailout cost Malaysians RM1.8 billion. And the government paid for the MAS shares at more than double their market price. Why was this so?
Well, Mahathir has become famous for blaming others; this time, he points to the Finance Ministry – for recommending the purchase at such a price. Has he forgotten he was the country’s chief executive officer then, and that it wouldn’t have gone through without his say-so, no matter which ministry or individual recommended it?
He says MAS had to be saved from bankruptcy because it was “necessary”. But why was MAS privatised to Tajudin Ramli in the first place when the latter had had no track record in the airline industry? Whom would Mahathir blame for this?
And what about the other bailouts? Bank Bumiputra, Renong, and Proton, which was bought by Petronas from DRB-Hicom when the latter was deep in debt?
Mahathir is always right
Mahathir tries to justify the MAS bailout by comparing it to the cancellation of the double-tracking project by his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. But that doesn’t make it right. Would making such a comparison absolve Mahathir from the questionable use of public funds under his watch?
Did Mahathir have a personal stake in that project to make him so angry towards Abdullah for cancelling it, and therefore so unforgiving of the latter?
The way he’s been slamming Abdullah, almost at every chance he gets, indicates he has a personal axe to grind with the man. But he’s been doing it so often now that it’s really getting tiresome.
The thing about Mahathir is, he is always right and everyone else wrong. Less than two weeks ago, he refuted allegations that when he was prime minister, he cowed the judiciary.
Has he forgotten that in 1988, his ruling party, which then enjoyed a two-thirds majority in Parliament, passed an amendment to Article 121 of the Federal Constitution which effectively removed the judicial power from the courts and made the judiciary subservient to Parliament?
When former chief justice Dzaiddin Abdullah brought up three weeks ago that this was so, and de facto Law Minister Nazri Aziz agreed, what was Mahathir’s response? “This is fitnah (slander),” he said. But why is it fitnah when the amendment was indeed made and we have seen the consequences of it?
To deflect from the real issue, Mahathir blamed Nazri for getting personal. “Nazri … you know, he never likes me,” he said. But what about Dzaiddin? Mahathir doesn’t mention it, but does Dzaiddin not like him too?
So that’s how Mahathir avoids facing up to the truth – use emotional prattle, throw the focus off himself onto others, make it seem that others are against him and that they want to run him down.
To aim insult at Nazri and aggrandise himself, he also said, condescendingly and arrogantly, “Let him be. It doesn’t hurt me. Let dogs bark, but mountains don’t crumble.”
He even asserted that he was blameless in the sacking of then Lord President Salleh Abas, which Dzaiddin claimed was due to the disagreement between Mahathir and Salleh over the role of the courts. Whom did Mahathir blame instead?
“It was the Agong (king) who wanted [Salleh] removed,” he said. That must have got people rolling on the floor with laughter. Given Mahathir’s track record in relation to royalty, are we to believe that he would have acceded to the request of removing Salleh if indeed the Agong had made it?
Not responsible for ISA arrests too
How did we entrust a man who talks like that with the nation’s most important job for 22 years? If we weren’t vigilant then, we should be vigilant now and make sure we don’t put into that office someone as reluctant to be accountable as that.
Mahathir was unwilling to be accountable for Operation Lalang too. Regarding that infamous swoop on 106 citizens in 1987 that detained them under the Internal Security Act, he passed the buck to the police.
He said: “Well, I would have handled it differently, except that the police wanted to do these things because they say it is necessary …” He washed his hands of the matter. He was effectively saying the police did it.
But if that was so, how come when it came to authorising the detention of 40 of the 106 to two years, Mahathir, who was also the home minister then, signed it? Did the police twist his arm and force him to do it too?
He is even down on record to have said, “I actually met all of the opposition members (beforehand) and assured them that they would not be arrested.”
But Lim Kit Siang, who was among the 40 detained for two years, has attested that he never met Mahathir beforehand. What does Mahathir have to say to that?
Perhaps it’s best not to ask him that question or he might come up with something that looks like a Uri Geller feat. Or Lim might get blamed for this too!
Actually, it’s not good to ask Mahathir any questions. Or to give him so much coverage in the media. He should be allowed the space only if he talks sense or if he admits to whatever mistakes he has made. But then infallible as he is, such an admission looks unlikely to happen.
The way it looks, the mountain is not going to crumble. If it does, the world would end – for Mahathir.
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KEE THUAN CHYE is the author of the new book ‘No More Bullshit, Please, We’re All Malaysians’.
Well, he is the High Priest of Cock-&-Bull. Look at his followers in NFC loan document. Everything that has been said by every UMNO-Perkasa/BN and govt are nothing but lies. Muhiyiddin, Noh Omar, the police, the AG, the Auditor, MACC and likely also Najib conspired to cover-up a criminal breach..
Well, Mr. Kee, he is the only person in Malaysia who could walk on water.
This man even managed to change from one race to another, that shows how cunning a person he is.
This guy played with our money like it was his……this country crashed the moment Razak played the Tengku into oblivion…
We were a nation for only 12 years……after 1969, it has been run like a village with the penghulu/pirate and his henchmen whacking everything in sight….
In China, people like Mamakthir and Salizat will be shot for corruption
And he has got 20 Ph D (Honorary) degrees under his belt.
A leader with dream will lead the nation into his dream state. A leader with dilemma will lead the nation into a lost state. Half a century after independence, only now, we seek to be a Malaysia (1 Malaysia), 50yrs already, we should have been The Malaysia. Is like at the age of 55, one morning, you woke up, start asking who really you are? and what have you been doing all this while?. .. He can claim whatever under the sky, but those are the lost decades during his tenure…
http://malaysiakini.com/news/190232
The President of Senegal is trying to continue for a 3rd term as riots break out to prevent him form doing so. However in Bolehsia, a PM got to rule for more than FIVE terms!
What the good doctor needs is a rocking chair, a pipe, and his autobiography, if he cares to read it.
//What the good doctor needs is a rocking chair//
What the good doctor needs is an electric chair with the current on FULL
Kee said TDM “should talk straight or just shut up”. Mahathir would probably retort, “I thought you believed in freedom of speech?” According to Kee, he is a specialist in distorting every argument from history to politics, “he is always right and everyone else wrong”. True, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he always thinks he’s right. In fact even if he knows he is wrong he would argue/respond as if he were right to test whether his detractor could prove him wrong. That’s the measure of the man: much can be deciphered from non verbal cues – that perpetual supercilious smile smirk or sneer that sends the message of suppressed contempt that you’re all not ½ as clever devious and smart.
Which is why besides the trade mark sneer he also resorts often to sarcasm of which “let him be. It doesn’t hurt me. Let dogs bark, but mountains don’t crumble ” is yet another example of attempting to combine wit with insult, with the main issue of contention, avoided, of course! Even if he doesn’t think he’s smartest, he’d think he’s amongst the smartest which together with force of personality will be able to manipulate and prevail over rivals detractors, and the multitude of fools and simpletons around! When there’s another smart one like LKY down South that gets the credit, he is not happy with him. If there’s one thing that he is identified with it is thinking that many if not most of his countrymen are not 1/2 as smart. He doesn’t sue Barry Wain – and so many others who insult him- because the man is not afraid of criticisms or insults. Thick skin? Maybe, but the main thing is he likes contention and welcomes criticism or even insults against himself since it provides the opportunity for him to turn the tables against his critics, take them for a further ride, so he thinks!
He was called an “ultra” by Tunku and also identified with race policies that divide the nation. This is sad because he’s not thinking what’s best for the nation but what’s necessary to be a ‘successful’ politician. And “successful”, he was if one does not take into account the quality of saying the truth and being sincere – but by the limited/skewed measure of how long he could stay in power (22 years) by keeping rivals at bay/in prison and yet retiring (so far) without having to account (so far) for past or present misdeeds or mistakes, and yet have large sections of people who still revere or admire him as matched equally by those who despise him. For that it is because he’s “successful” in politics in one other vital aspect- he has the uncanny ability to empathise, tap the unconscious, embody and from this point exploit and galvanise, for political mileage, the primordial insecurities of those who support and adulate him as champion and who would therefore overlook and forgive whatever wrong he has done and deem him as almost infallible.
The tragedy for the nation is no one could embody and assuage his own insecurities, counting surely amongst, which are perhaps the sense that he of mixed parentage did not belong clearly to one side or another; and also perhaps that coming from economic humble circumstances, could not in spite of talent and “smartness”, make a early headway in business dominated by business/tradesmen (particularly from one community) and even in professional/education be accepted in scholarship to study law, which gives a certain advantage in politics. He responded to all these by his constitutional redefinition of what is Bumiputra, launched his NEP/Privatisation ala Malaysian Incorporated with him as CEO and whacked the judiciary/lawyers who obstructed his agenda. It is unfortunate for the nation that a man of such boundless energy and not inconsiderable talent was/is not and could not be restrained from unleashing his insecurities from the vantage point of his position in govt and even after.
His “success” might in large part be due to the racist card that he
has been playing and is still playing.
Secondly, the MSM plays a very large part in keeping Malaysians
in bondage during his tenure.
Thirdly, because of this very effective all encompassing lopsided
news coverage that gives out false news that his opponents
are devils, he had lulled Malaysians into a stupor of
apathy, which is exactly the effect he wanted.
So much so, that at one time many voters were saying there
was no point in voting because all the opposition parties were
ineffective.
And the vote banks UMNO/BN were holding always ensure its
victory.
But, nowadays things have changed significantly with the advent
of the new media.
This coupled with more educated and widely traveled Malays is
showing positive results for the opposition.
As the saying goes, “Things, they’re a changing!”.
This time the cock and bull story he told is admitting that he did take Rm1.8 billion to bail out MAS.
Forget what he said about Dollah.
We all know so many more bail outs..including bailing out his son…to the tune of RM100 billion…Barry Wain in his 22 years.
Perhaps MACC or the police are not acting to investigate with the excuse..it is a mad man talking…leave him alone.
Former TNB chairman refused to sign the IPP agreement as he say he did not wish his grave will be pissed after he died. But we have someone who don’t mind that.
Let us award the Tun with another title: Grandfather of Cock and Bull.
For fame, he will say or do anything.
He had been used to open up the country’s offers for mega projects and others not beneficial to ordinary people.
It was agong who want Salleh being scak? That is a true statement, because only Agong can sack a judge. But he forgot to dealt with that Agong is on his advise. That the issue, Mahathir always tell half true as he always believe Malaysian will believe what he say. He will only tell on is look true on surface.
When he say MAS bailed out was not the worst, so which is the worst ..May he refer to the recent Greece bailed was the worst .. then academically that was also true. If Europe can bailed out a Government why not me? That what he meant?
It was no point to argue with him as he was arrogant and a big bully. How. Look at his face when he make statement.. his face tell you that he is the one and only on not in Malaysia on Earth.
He was a creature that make laugh and cry at the same time. You can’t do anything with this man
10 years ago…Mahathir is famous to twist and turn.
Years passes by….his twistings have become bored…telling half truths and lying with eyes wide open.
He became a compulsive liar too.
Once he could fool the whole world.
Now he cannot even fool smart Malaysians.
Once he could fool the whole world.
Now he cannot fol smart Malaysians.
Mamathir was the worst PM, the greatest liar, most racialist, greatest hypocrite, and even hell will not accept him!
///Now he says the government’s bailout of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in 2000, during his premiership, was “not the worst”.///
Mr. Ex-Prime Minister, please don’t use such term as “not the worst”. Any bailout (be it big or small) is a wastage of taxpayers’ money. That amount of money could have been put to better use for the benefit of the rakyat. Any government bailout is an indication of administration failure. Please admit it.
I think it is high time the people ignore him on whatever he has to say. By reacting to his often stupid comments, comments that do not jive at all, we can be seen equally moronic. Yes, he said it! Let the dog barked against the mountain, assuming that he was indeed that Mountain! His mountain today carries him only around this country. Now that the whole world has found out his real capability and intention, they too decided not to pay for his grumblings! We should allow him to eat his heart out by seeing that his nemises is being invited to give his opinion worldwide. Now he can only using his blog-site in Malaysia! The inability of the majority of Malaysians being unable to read English certainly made his life a lot easier and today with facebool or twitter, he has no more hold on the nation!
Former senior police officer Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim asserted today that the National Feedlot Corporation’s NFC controversial condominium purchases are clear examples of CBT criminal breach of trust, adding the Attorney-General should have “no doubt” of this when deciding whether to press charges.
Mat Zain said that based on provisions in Section 409 of the Penal Code the husband and children of minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil who run the NFCorp should each be slapped with numerous counts of CBT. If convicted the former KL CID chief said they would be liable to a jail term of between two and 20 years whipping and a fine.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mhVoqeG17Ls/TtbeUqVUHfI/AAAAAAAAB9A/Vse4r3vAC0w/s400/image.jpg
///KUALA LUMPUR Feb 26 — Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek claimed today that MCA has diversified from its ethnic-based image and no longer addresses issues solely from the standpoint of the Chinese community The MCA president said the party’s programmes are structured to benefit all Malaysians regardless of their race and religion “Dear comrades our role is not only all Chinese in nature.///–MalaysianInsider
It is a joke that the party which has been formed to look after the interests of Chinese and has failed in its mission claims now that it looks after the interests of other communities as well. If MCA decides that it is bad for any political party to look after the interest of one community, then it should influence UMNO not to be racist by first dissolving MCA. Why does MCA continue to exist to give UMNO the reason to remain?
Mahathiu knows how much is at stake if BN lost the next GE.
That is why despite his old age and failing health, he still needs to spin all kinds of lies in order to prevent PR from taking over Putrajaya.
To make him look younger, heard rumors that he has been doing Botox jobs extreme frequently.
///heard rumors that he has been doing Botox jobs extreme frequently./// He & his longevity and apparent youthfulness attract a lot of rumors. There is also talk about stem cells, about sleeping in home oxygen tank, and the best so far the best precious of Korean Ginseng (no American ginseng for him) – at least 300 years old at cost per gram at least US $1092/- Dunno whether they are also cock-and-bull urban legends!
Let me remind the old fox of another transaction during his tenure.
In 2001, the EPU awarded a 1400MW IPP concession to Mamakthir’s crony Syed Mokhtar Albukarey. Syed Mokhtar then negotiated with his affiliated listed vehicle Malakoff to “buy” the rights of this IPP for RM800 million. The award of the concession was conditional upon no change of control for 7 years, and EPU officials refused to sanction the transfer of the concession to Malakoff. Even Nor Mohd Yakcop refused to sign the letter approving the transfer.
Do you remember what you did, Mamakthir ? You signed the letter of approval in your capacity as FMI. In a stroke of the pen, and in the span of 2 weeks, your buddy Syed Mokhtar reaped RM800 million.
This is not hearsay, Mamakthir. Malakoff being a listed vehicle had to report this to Bursa.
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/dr-chua-says-mca-more-multi-racial-now/
C d similarity? Now we know d sifu of d finger-pointing tow-truck abusive creature
Do you remember Perwaja, Mamakthir ? You gave the lossmaking company to the Sahid brothers. Perwaja owed TNB hundreds of millions in electricity bills. Did you not ask TNB to write this off ? Do you realise that the Sahid Brothers diverted funds from Perwaja to build Maju Junction ?
Do you remember that when Abu Sahid went crying to you that Perwaja cannot work, and asked for a tollroad concession, you gave them what is now Maju Expressway ?
This is no cock and bull, Mamakthir. This is yet another example of your wastefulness through crony economics.
If one is willing to change race to make a political stand….this is very bad in the eyes of other communities/society, whatever is his/her motivations.
The party/s who accept such people is a great concern.
///Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek claimed today that MCA has diversified from its ethnic-based image and no longer addresses issues solely from the standpoint of the Chinese community/// – #23 Loh.
Actually this was already stated in Chua Soi Lek Manifesto that he came out with in Sept 16 2008 CSL (after 308 tsunami signifying MCA being pushed to electoral backwaters) in which he clearly said that whilst MCA continued to promote Chinese economic competiveness and education, MCA though a “race based party” would take a multi-racial approach to champion the rights of not jut Chinese but all Malaysians on national issues as good-governance, anti-corruption, freedom of religion, an independent judiciary etc”. Yet its only words because all of MCA’s rhetoric since then has still been race based including the recent debate with LGE where CSL tried to draw him to debate on race based topic like “Chinese at the cross roads”!
Good to be his crony (though bad for rest of us who are not) cos as least he “delivered”. When he said he “sokong” a project or a beneficiary of it, the DGs of govt dept dared not defy or hijack. Can’t say the same for his successors esp the immediate one when the DG would give his interpretation, whether the ‘sokong’ was an ‘executive’ or ‘political’ directive, and if the former (cos’ its a matter directly under his other ministries) they would follow, otherwise in the latter case, they’d put it in the back burner, shelve it or just sat on it and in some cases throw it in the waste paper basket.
It’s also quite paradoxical from conversations with several of these international bankers in S’pore during 1997 Asian Currency Crisis that whilst they blamed Dr Mahathir’ confluence of policies (like cronyism, wastage & leakages, NEP, rapid build up of foreign debt to finance development etc) for inviting -or at least exacerbating- the attack by currency traders of the Ringgit, yet in the same breath, they opined to my surprise then, that they had confidence that we would surely pull through due to what they described as the “X” factor of his “strong leadership”!
This evening, the PM declared that the Gomen had never recognised Israel so Mathadir had to write to the PM of Israel to ask him to recognise the State of Palestine!!!!!!???? Waht stupid logic is this? How could you ask someone whom you did not recognise to act? Isn’t this weird? Or are you, in spite of your arrogance, going on fours to beg someone you professed could not exist to help you to achieve something which only he could decide?
It is irrational and let’s see if they could pull wool over the eyes of all Malaysians. It just shows how bankrupt they are in ideas and thinking! And Malaysians are asked to let them continue leading this country!!!
Mathir is no longer a doctor. He has not practiced as a doctor. Why call him doctor?
Should just call him Mathir (he is not maha at all). By the way, he is not a Malay. Our true Malay friends are like P. Ramle or Tunku, etc.
Dr mamak, you have failed the nation. You have shamed the country. And payback time will come soon. There is no escaping.