The Mahathir Record

I refer to P.C.A LEE’s letter to NST (17th June 2008)on Tun Dr. Mahathir’s record. To me the Petronas twin towers, the Sepang F1 Circuit, the KLIA and the tolled highways are not projects coming out of brilliant ideas or initiatives. These can only come from those who think and behave that the country’s resources are unlimited and “money is no problem” It was during his administration that another “brilliant” idea was mooted which fortunately did not materialize - to build a bridge linking Malaysia and Sumatra. Just imagine the consequence to the country’s financial resources and the ballooning budget deficits should the project proceeded? His penchant for mega projects was indeed insatiable especially when these become synonymous with his name He wanted to create his own history especially for the young generation. After all, those who were born at the time the Tun became Prime Minister are now grown adults when he retired in 2003. This generation only knows him as Prime Minister and this is what he wants to perpetuate even to the extent of dismantling any historical past.



Remember the Merdeka Stadium which was on the verge of being demolished to make way for a commercial project which must have received his blessing had it not been for the public outcry that insist on preserving this historical place where our first Prime Minister read the Proclamation of our Independence?


The availability of oil money and Petronas under his direct control has no doubt became the driving force behind his foray into these mega projects including the heavy industry as well as for bailing out public and private companies from the fallout of the 1996/1997 Asian financial crisis. The national car project was developed at very high social costs to the country and people, when it could have been done differently and at a much cheaper costs and still meet our national objectives and aspirations. Just look at what Thailand did to its automotive industry which is robust and competitive compared to ours. And we were far ahead of Thailand at one time.

Perwaja is another disaster that has to be salvaged. Is the Formula One circuit financially viable and self financing or still dependent upon the continuing injection of public money or Petronas money? What did the country get substantively out of the twin towers apart from having the tallest building in the world but not anymore now? Was the twin tower buildings’ space fully occupied upon completion? Did our construction industry and our major contractors gain any technological mileage in terms of construction expertise and new skills for our labour force when we engaged foreign contractors and foreign labor for their construction?

I tried to list down what are his positive contributions to the country especially to the ordinary citizens that could make them remember him in their hearts for a long time. We are not talking of the few hundred families or individuals that became direct beneficiaries of his 22 year administration through negotiated contracts, privatization deals, business monopolies, exclusive supplies and services, but the millions of ordinary low income and poor people in the rural and urban areas throughout the country.

Frankly, not much can be documented for their direct well being and welfare, except the widening disparity of incomes between the major races and within a race and between urban and rural areas during his administration. The gaps between the rich and the poor were forever widening. I only see more and more negatives than positives, as enumerated by PCA Lee, like the thriving corruption, the erosion of public confidence on the judiciary, racial polarization, and wastage of public funds like substandard buildings, schools, roads implemented through direct negotiations and consequently abandoned but later salvaged by the new administration at tremendous costs to the nation. To add to the shopping list of negatives is the declining respect for our laws because you can do wrong things for the right reason. Or you can be spared of your wrong doings before the law if you can tell the judges what to do. Anything is possible at the right price

The explosion in the number of award for honorific titles amongst Malaysians happened during his premiership so much so that cynical remarks were made by every Dick, Tom and Harry that if someone throws a stone on the street or at any public gathering or function, the chances are that you will hit a Dato’, Dato' Seri or Tan Sri. The scramble for getting such titles became paramount as they provide tremendous mileage in terms of securing preferential treatment of sorts and access to the corridors of power all which add a new dimension to the Malaysian culture and way of life. Hence it is not what you know but who you know and what you have before your name that finally matters. It is not far fetched to say that the basic rationale and justification for conferring these honorific titles had been compromised or almost thrown overboard. It has become commercially driven to a large extent and the people know this fully well that many who were conferred with these titles do not deserve them. Many go for these honorific titles to redeem or camouflage their past misdeeds in the eyes of the public. But last and not least I have never come across or heard a former Prime Minister of this country being called a Firaun or Pharaoh. To the Muslims who read and understand the Koran this is a very degrading and unpalatable name to call anyone.

We must be fair to the Tun and let us hope as time goes on more and more of his good deeds and not his misdeeds will be unfolded so that as the saying goes, elephants leave behind its tasks, the tigers its stripes when they die. For the mortal human beings, they leave behind their names.