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YOUR OPINION | “Senior leaders cannot give up their power, but the future is in the next generation …”
COMMENT | Ramkarpal’s censure of Mahathir is an accusation of Harapan
IndigoTrout2522: Malaysiakini columnist S Thayaparan is right. During the first year of the Pakatan Harapan government, the rakyat has already made comment after comment to warn that then-Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad could not be trusted.
He did not support the Harapan manifesto. He was not going to keep his promise of the transition plan as agreed because he had a different agenda. He strengthened Bersatu by bringing in deputies from Umno. He deliberately undermined Anwar Ibrahim by dividing PKR using then party rival Azmin Ali. He continued to undermine DAP with the apparent support of Lim Guan Eng and Lim Kit Siang.
His words and actions were quite obvious. However, Kit Siang and Guan Eng were out of touch with the rakyat. Perhaps they were blinded by power and positions, even after losing so many by-elections.
All we heard was that they would evaluate why they lost but, to the public, it was obvious that trust was eroding. They didn’t support Anwar the way they did Mahathir, and it still seems that way now.
Mahathir used Anwar to undermine the entire coalition when the fact was that Mahathir should be the one to bear the blame. Of course, Anwar couldn’t imagine, in his wildest dreams, that his friends were the ones to betray him.
DAP has many dedicated young leaders. It is time for Kit Siang and Guan Eng to step back and allow the younger leaders to lead the party and hopefully the government. The same goes for PKR. Our youngest leaders are the future of Malaysia.
In the meantime, those younger leaders should speak up. Of course, those older, established leaders would try to divert them because they can’t relinquish power, but the future is in the hands of the next generation.
Hopefully, many of them will speak.
EM: In 2018, a desperate population drowning in a sea of malfeasance and intolerance clung to a familiar straw despite the family pain it unleashed: Mahathir. So desperate was he that all that was known about him, loathed and rejected, was quickly put aside … to embrace his second coming as a savior.
The cunning coot, knowing the desperation of the people, made his game using Anwar as bait, and a naive and eager Harapan tormented and blinded by the prospect of winning.
So almost everyone was duped. Many still are. The question now is, has anyone learned anything from that disastrous exercise in massive nonsense? I say no.
The average Malaysian’s love of deification (demonstrated just a few months ago and expressed as a mural and endless flasks of praise), his tendency to stand tall and in awe at the sight of the rich and wealthy with titles, and the disgusting habit of forward without thinking Urban folklore about “heroes” for each and every one, means that this nonsense will be repeated.
Like the virus going berserk, there is no cure for stupidity.
Undecided: Remember folks, the point is not that Mahathir is some kind of great traitor, but that Harapan’s political operatives allowed his behavior, which led to the downfall of the coalition.
Top Harapan leaders at the time believed that this was the correct strategy, namely to strengthen its Malay voter base and keep Bersatu / Harapan in power, in order to allow more time for reforms to take place.
One term is not enough, that was the belief. It is not because they just wanted to please Mahathir or were afraid of him. And it’s easy to criticize them in hindsight.
Mahathir went too far with his toxic rhetoric at the Malaysian Dignity Congress last October and this angered DAP supporters, especially so soon after the khat issue. Supporting him as prime minister for the third time after so many crucial mistakes on his part would be disastrous for Harapan.
The real reason for the current political situation is that there are too many selfish Muslim Malaysian leaders who have put their own interests above the country.
OrangePanther1466: Many have been brainwashed by the bad press about Mahathir. I have repeatedly asked readers to think for themselves before reaching a conclusion. I think the DAP leaders Kit Siang and Guan Eng understand the issues well.
Plain and simple, 65 percent (some say 70 percent) of our population is Malaysian bumiputera. The New Economic Policy (NEP) was introduced 50 years ago. For me, it was brutal for non-Malays, but perhaps necessary for long-term stability. The result to date is debatable, but can be considered a success.
However, the implementation was characterized by massive corruption and a disproportionate advantage to the elite class. Politicians, especially those of Malaysian origin like Umno and PAS, took advantage of the NEP and the special position of the Malays to retain control of the country.
Now there are calls to reverse NEP. Fair enough, but you can’t give this “shock” treatment to 65 percent of the population. Withdrawing what two generations of Malaysians have taken for granted as their right is very difficult and almost impossible if the words of the Constitution are taken into account.
It’s like Anwar coveting the post of prime minister for 20 years and he feels he’s entitled to it. You take it off. You will have recoil.
In this context, Harapan’s manifesto and reform agenda will hit a stone wall with 65 percent blocking it. The simplest and most innocuous measures, such as ratifying the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), sparked massive protests.
The attempt to promote the Independent Police Misconduct Complaints Commission (IPCMC) saw the rejection of vested interests in the police force. Dare we come up with ideas like “Malaysia for Malays”, “merit-based” college entrance, as well as public sector entrances?
Yes, these are good values that we should adopt, but how do we do it without disenfranchising a large part of the population?
People have criticized Mahathir for attending the Malaya Unity Congress and the speech he gave. Just think, if all the high-level Malaysian leaders attended, could Mahathir afford not to attend? I think Malaysians would criticize him more if he didn’t attend.
Some have said that it should have stopped that congress. Maybe, but if word got out that he canceled the conference, it would reflect badly on him too. Anyway, if you listen to his speech in Congress, a big part of it was him asking Malaysians to self-examine and improve themselves.
Sure, there were the usual racial comments to be expected in an environment like that. For this reason, do you see him reinforcing his racist image?
In short, there are no shortcuts to navigating our current socio-political quagmire and it would take a couple of generations to fix it, but we have to start somewhere and I think the journey will be worth it. We need the younger generation to instill the correct values before assuming leadership positions.
Enough of vilifying Mahathir. He only wants what is good for Malaysia. He is not hungry for power because he voluntarily resigned twice as prime minister. Call it racist, but don’t forget that many non-Malays were also successful during the economic boom of the 1990s, especially the real estate boom.
Yes, you say it is due to the hard work of non-Malays, but the fact is that the environment and government regulations allowed non-Malays and also Malaysian entrepreneurs to succeed.
Prominority: @ OrangePanther1466, well you missed the elephant in the room. Mahathir promised many times to pass the baton on to Anwar. It’s absolutely clear that he didn’t want to keep the promise, period. That is a fact that made all Malaysians disappointed by his behavior.
You know very well that Anwar was the strong link to unite all parties and the curtain fell on BN. Anwar, physically, mentally and humiliatingly abused, worked hard with patience to make the PKR the most popular party with 48 seats. Who else deserves the position other than him?
Mahathir should have stood his ground. Congress could have been avoided. However, if you cut the merits of it, it was still unacceptable. Anyway, thanks for the comment. God bless you.
RZee: I agree with Thayaparan and that DAP’s behavior is less than desirable. They are playing in the field, but this cannot be if on one side is their loyal partner and on the other side is the opportunist and liar, Mahathir.
Have they not learned their lesson? Didn’t Mahathir play against them and all of Harapan as DAP leader Ramkarpal Singh clearly pointed out?
All the parties of the Harapan component must speak out and give their support to this coalition clearly and unequivocally. People need to see and hear unity among the opposition.
GreenMoose9952: In hindsight, we can all agree that Mahathir’s cynical removal of former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak fit the hearts and minds of most Malaysians who were hungry and desperate for change.
Dr. M’s Recipe: Sweet like honey in the mouth but bitter and hideous in the stomach. Sigh, a hard lesson. Hopefully, we won’t be fooled again the second time around.
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