Tun Mahathir gets personal

Categories: Malaysia

Tun Mahathir, who had been criticising the government under Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, has got personal. This time he had directly criticised the man he had chosen to succeed him.

Since PM Badawi had taken over the rein in 2003, he had cancelled a few of the mega-project proposed by the former Prime Minister. Tun Mahathir had been rather silent, in keeping with his promise not to meddle with the government of the day. However he started his salvo when the Approved Permit (AP) controversy (involving imports of foreign cars) started. From then on it just deteriorated with the scrapping of the Scenic Bridge.

Are such outburst a result of PM Badawi himself? Since becoming the PM, Badawi had been rather low-key. Much of the 'important' job had been delegated to the DPM Najib - for example handling of the tsunami aftermath and the national service issue. He had also largely been silent regarding the AP controversy, the IPCMC, the Proton issues and the cancellation of the Scenic Bridge. Have all these contributed to his protrayal as being a weak leader? Since Mahathir had chosen him to be his successor, did he feel partly responsible and therefore have to speak up so as to jolt some sense into his successor or is this a wake-up call to UMNO for possible change in leadership? After all in his last salvo, he even went so much as to say that Badawi was not the first choice candidate for the premiership.

Another reason often cited by Tun Mahathir is that PM Badawi is making mistakes when he halted some of the mega-projects initiated by Tun. Tun Mahathir maintained that such mega-projects were necessary to drive the economy; whereas PM Badawi has felt that such mega-projects were eating up too much into the government's coffer. He felt that this is wrong as the future generations should not be made to pay for these excesses. According to Tun, if these projects were scrapped, then there will be slowdown and the economy will suffer. Whether this is true or not, the economic growth had truely showed a slight decline in the last 2 years. Is it a direct effect of the halting the mega-projects or just coincidental, being driven by the world economic climate?

With the dismantling of many of the proposed mega-projects by the Badawi administration, could this have been viewed by Tun Mahathir as a dismantling of his legacy? In the more than 20 years of Tun premiership, he has initiated many projects and thus bring Malaysia nearer to the developed world status. The Twin Tower of Petronas, once the tallest building in the world, has become an icon for Malaysia. Putrajaya and KLIA were proudly showcased during world meetings in Malaysia. All these were testaments to his great leadership. However less than 2 years, he finds that his other 'legacy' has been dismantled for example the Linear City of KL and a dual-track railway in the south of Malaysia. The greatest resentment he had must be the scrapping of the Scenic Bridge, as he had tied the building of the bridge to Malaysia's sovereignity and pride. Is he feeling bitter because of all these? This seem so for he was quoted to have said: “When I decided to step down, I planned not to interfere with the Government of the day. There were certain things that were promised by the incoming Government but it not only did not do things as promised but reversed many decisions made (by the former Government) when he (Abdullah) was still in the Government."

One thing that has come out of this episode is that such outburst actually reflects not too kindly on Tun Mahathir's own administration. As the current cabinet is largely the same as the previous cabinet under Mahathir's premiership, the inconsistency and discrepancy in the decision of the government raised eyebrows. How can both administration come to such different conclusions with just a change in the premier? It is hard to believe that all the Cabinet Ministers are so pliable and go with the tide. More likely is the style of leadership. Tun Mahathir is well known for his strong and forceful character. This is in contrast with that of Datuk Seri Badawi, aka Mr Nice Guy, who believes in collective agreement and concensus. The suggestion here is that Tun Mahathir is an authoritarian, brushing aside his Ministers' opinions or he was so feared that his Ministers dare not put forth their opinions or in his own words, "expect a reasonable degree of gratefulness." This seemed the more likely because Premier Badawi is such a nice guy to the extend that he even tolerated subordination from the Inspector-General of Police when the latter publicly rejected the setting up of IPCMC, which was recommended by a Royal Commission and agreed to by Badawi. I am sure such subordination would never have happened under Tun Mahathir.

Such outburst will also make Tun Mahathir look arrogant. No doubt Tun Mahathir is a proud man, and he probably has a right to be proud for what he has done for Malaysia. However, pride bordering on arrogance is another thing altogether. Like Tun Musa Hitam said in an interview: "Had it ever occurred to him that he had been wrong, rather the people wrong?" He was referring to the fact that Tun Mahathir had 4 DPM when he was the premier and each ended up opposing him.

In the lastest attack on PM Badawi, Tun Mahathir created a new dimension in his displeasure. He had publicly said that Badawi was not the first choice as the premier. The first choice should go to Najib, the current deputy premier. Whatever the reason for such disclosure is only best known to Tun Mahathir, but now the spotlight is on Datuk Seri Najib. Such disclosure will only serve to create a rift between Badawi and Najib. However Datuk Seri Najib had done the right thing when he quickly come out to defend and pledge his support for Badawi. However the Pandora box has been opened. The seed for discontent has been sowed. Whether Najib likes it or not, his supporters will start asking questions and stir up ideas. The true intention of Datuk Seri Najib will only come into the open when the next UMNO General Meeting is convened next year.

Of the five Prime Minister Malaysia has, Tun Mahathir has been one most worthy of respect. Under his leadership, he has transformed Malaysia from a agriculture-based economy to one of industrial-based. He has initiated a long-term goal for the country when he proclaimed Wawasan 2020 (Vision 2020), a date when Malaysia will be a developed country. He was also one of the few Asian leaders who dare to stand up to the Americans. In the process, he has made Malaysia known in world politics. Hopefully his achievements will not come to nought because of frustrations or arrogance. It will be a sad day when he is remembered other than as the 'Father of Modern Malaysia'.