Why I condemn Dr. Mahathir

The leadership vacuum in the country does not mean we have to support Mahathir

COMMENT

By Tajuddin Rosli

I have received many emails questioning why I condemn Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in almost every article. My friends think I am blindly supporting Datuk Seri Najib Razak in my articles against Dr Mahathir.

For the record, speaking against Mahathir does not equate to me supporting Najib. I have repeatedly said that if Najib is proven to be guilty of corruption then he has no choice but to resign.

But I am not going to buy something, just because the Wall Street Journal publishes it. This is the same Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that once insinuated that  Anwar Ibrahim supported same-gender marriage. It is the same WSJ that quoted Anwar as defending the safety and rights of Israel.

Do you seriously think that Mahathir is speaking out because he cares about Malaysia and Malaysians? That man is only speaking out because he wants to protect himself and his family. He is worried that if BN loses under Najib’s leadership and Pakatan comes into power, it would be his time to rot in jail.

I second Nurul Izzah Anwar’s suggestion that if there is legitimate evidence to show Najib squandered money from 1MDB and as alleged by WSJ,  that the funds were used to finance the 13th General Election, then the courts should rule the elections null and void. A new election should then be called for.

This in my opinion is in the best interest of the nation. But will Mahathir support this? Obviously not because if a re-election takes place now, there is a huge possibility Pakatan will be victorious and form the government and Mahathir will spend the remaining years of his life in prison.

Mahathir has now brought up the movie The Wolf of Wall Street that was produced by Najib’s stepson and labeled it ‘filem lucah’. Riza Aziz has now become Mahathir’s target because his movie contained steamy scenes. Doesn’t Mahathir realise that the movie made hundreds of millions at the box office. It even bagged numerous awards across America and Europe? It is just a movie.

Why doesn’t Mahathir say anything about Mirzan Mahathir owning shares in San Miguel Beer Company? Isn’t alcohol halal in Mahathir’s Islamic world?

Mahathir says his sons are not billionaires.

However, Forbes 2015 ranking shows that Mokhzani Mahathir was at position 26 among Malaysia’s 50 Richest. He was ranked 15 in 2014. How did his ranking fall? According to Forbes, it came about because he lost $500 million when the price of oil crashed. Mokhzani was also ranked 1372 in Forbes 2014 Billionaires list.

Since you have now become an ardent fan of western journalism, this has to be true then, right Mahathir? As part of the ongoing investigations, Mokhzani should also declare his assets and let the truth be told.

Till today, Mahathir neither recognizes nor supports the idea of a Bangsa Malaysia. He keeps playing on racial sentiments and makes the Malays believe that they can only survive under Barisan Nasional.

Are the Malays so weak that we need to be protected indefinitely? That after 58 years we are still hiding under the shell of protection only means that we are the weakest race in the world. Why have we become the race that can only survive with help? That is because Mahathir has sculpted us to be that way. Mahathir desires that the Malays remain ‘stupid people’ so he can rule forever at our expense.

Presently, the entire nation accepts that Khairy Jamaluddin is the kind of leader the country needs. Have we forgotten how Mahathir tried to politically annihilate Khairy and push Mukhriz Mahathir to the forefront? Failing to ‘finish-off’ Khairy politically is another reason why Mahathir is bitter with Najib.

Remember also how Mahathir ridiculed the mother of Dyana Sofya in the wake of the Teluk Intan by-elections by launching personal attacks saying she had failed to bring up her daughter properly?

Have we forgotten what Mahathir did to the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, the late Tun Hussein Onn and Tun Abdullah Badawi? Have we forgotten how Mahathir buried the original principles of UMNO to give rise to, UMNO Baru?

Mahathir still going strong at the age of 90 only shows that the prayers of Al-Marhum Uztaz Fadzil Noor have been answered. He said “Saya berdoa agar Mahathir dipanjangkan umur untuk melihat kemusnahan yang telah dilakukannya sendiri”.

There may be a leadership vacuum in the country today, but that does not mean we have to support and applaud Mahathir.

Tajuddin Rosli is an FMT reader.