Dr Mahathir Mohamad has brought
level-headed Malaysians of all races closer together due to their disdain for
him and his misdeeds.
A
recent medical examination discovered microscopic traces of blood in the urine
specimen and when I confided in a doctor friend, she insisted that I undergo
what is known in the medical field as a hematuria work-up.
She explained that the investigation
would include an invasive procedure using a harmless sounding device called a
cystocope. But when the details were revealed, a chill crept down the spine.
Being a female with no personal
experience of trauma inflicted on the male genitalia, her assurance that the
procedure would be over within minutes had failed to comfort me.
Nevertheless, I relented.
The English language is bereft of
the appropriate words to describe what had transpired next. But the horrendous
experience had scarred me for life.
During the procedure, as I winced in
pain and wrestled with the urge to bludgeon the doctor to death with a bedpan,
I could not help but wonder what had inspired him to become a urologist and
perform such scopes for a living.
On a similar vein, I am also curious
what motivated Dr Mahathir Mohamad to specialise in the field of fraudulence
and instead of healing the nation, he has become one of its most devastating
ailments.
The former prime minister is living
proof that sound health could at times be more of a bane than a boon.
Mahathir’s greatest
achievement
In 2003, when Mahathir decided to
relinquish the post which he held for more than two decades, he disclosed what
he considered to be his greatest achievement at an event in Kota Kinabalu.
Be warned that what is to follow is
not for the faint-hearted.
According to Mahathir, it was not
the Petronas Twin Towers, the Putrajaya administrative capital or even the
Multimedia Super Corridor.
In his own words, the former prime
minister claimed that his most notable accomplishment was fostering racial
ties.
Mahathir said that he strove to
continue the legacy of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the father of independence whom he
now questions for granting citizenship to the Chinese and Indians.
In a news report dated Sept 9, 2003,
Mahathir said that when Hussein Onn named him as his successor, there were
fears that he was an ultra-Malay and an extremist. However, he added, those
concerns had been proven to be unfounded.
A decade later, Mahathir, whose
father was of Indian origin, is the patron of the Malay extremist movement
Perkasa, which appears hell-bent on advancing an agenda of chaos vis-à-vis
racial and religious strife.
Displaying his true colours, the
former prime minister had defended Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali’s call on
Muslims to burn Bibles which contain the word “Allah”.
Ibrahim insulted
Muslims as well
Commenting on this, MIC’s S Vell
Paari, who was among the first to lash out against Ibrahim, pointed out that
the latter had not only belittled Christians but also insulted Muslims.
Explaining, he said that the Perkasa
president wanted Muslims to torch Bibles that contained the term Allah, which
was a sacred word to those who profess the Islamic faith.
He added that since Mahathir had
defended Ibrahim’s absurd clarion call, the police must also act against the
former premier.
In retrospect, it is difficult to
imagine the damage and polarisation which this meglomaniac leader had inflicted
on this nation during his 22 years as prime minister.
Those politicians who deposited
their respective conscience in Swiss banks and aided this man in perpetuating
his doctrine of hate must also be held accountable.
And what about us, who kept these
people in power for decades, permitting them to plunder this nation of its
wealth and rob it of its soul? We too must seek redemption.
When responding to Vell Paari’s
criticism against his racist rants, Mahathir vowed that he would refrain from
making such statements if the rest ceased to do so as well.
Such an argument is most
disappointing coming from an octogenarian and begs the question if Mahathir is
88 or 8.
Having roamed the earth close to
nine decades, one would expect a man with such vast experience to have
accumulated wisdom. Alas, in Mahathir’s case, this is just wishful thinking.
This elementary school mentality of
“I would stop pinching you if you stop pinching me” is unbecoming of a man,
whom some consider to be a statesman.
Just as obsessed as
Anwar
With his so-called greatest
achievement under threat from the likes of Perkasa, Mahathir should behave like
the patriarch of this nation, setting an example for others, and discouraging
those who harp on racial and religious issues from straining relations between
the various communities.
It is often said that a politician
thinks of the next election whereas a statesman thinks of the next generation.
Judging from Mahathir’s words and deeds, it is clear that even in this ripe old
age, he is a mere political chameleon, who changes his skin colour to further
his political agenda or that of his loved ones.
He cares not for the seeds of
discord and division that he sows in impressionable minds nor about the
consequences of his actions on the future generations of Malaysians.
When in power, Mahathir lacked the
courage to reveal his true self for fear of an electoral backlash from the
Chinese and Indian voters.
But now with the Chinese voters
having turned their backs on Barisan Nasional and Indian votes hanging in the
balance, a desperate Mahathir is attempting to plant an “us versus them” notion
in the Malay psyche to rake in the votes in order to keep his nemesis out of
Putrajaya and himself out of prison.
While he accuses Anwar Ibrahim of
being obsessed with wanting to become prime minister and that he would put the
nation at risk to achieve his ambition, Mahathir too is obsessed with
preventing this from happening at whatever cost, regardless of the
repercussions.
But the paradox is that Mahathir,
with his verbal hematuria, had brought level-headed Malaysians of all races
closer together due to their disdain for him and his misdeeds.
So perhaps, racial unity is his
greatest achievement after all.
Thanks: Free Malaysia Today
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