by S. Jayasankaran
It’s a little bit frightening, reaching 100. – Dr Mahathir Mohamad
He’s as old as some trees. – Anon
People generally know who you’re talking about when you refer to the Old Man.
Thirty years ago, the candles already cost more than his cake. Like the night or a sunset, he seems to have always been around.
That’s because he is. Dr Mahathir Mohamad, twice Malaysia’s premier, turned 100 on Thursday.
I first interviewed him in late 1987 in the aftermath of Operation Lalang. It was the name the police gave a nationwide crackdown during a period of racial tensions. It saw 119 people, mostly oppositionists and civil activists, detained without trial. Two newspapers were also shut down.
As we awaited the Prime Minister’s arrival, something caught my eye. Directly behind his chair, there was a poster of a cruel-eyed eagle, hovering, its talons outstretched. Beneath it, however, the caption read: “How Can I Soar Like An Eagle When I’m Surrounded By Turkeys?”
Truth be told, Dr Mahathir Mohamad preferred the turkeys: he’s even said he prized loyalty above competence where his staff were concerned.
When Dr M assumed the premiership in 1981, the government he took over was relatively clean. His predecessor Hussein Onn may have been considered slow and indecisive, but he disliked and didn’t tolerate corruption.
Case in point: In 1977, Harun Idris, a very popular Menteri Besar of Selangor, was sentenced to six years in jail for accepting a RM250,000 bribe.
Ironically, such a sum is considered penny-ante, even laughable these days.
But there is a larger point here. When Dr M took over in 1981, most people in positions of power were careful to keep their noses clean because they feared retribution.
During his 22 years in office (1982-2004), Dr M, like Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore, had near-absolute power. During that period, his ruling party had a two-thirds majority in Parliament, which meant he could push through any law.
But while Lee Kuan Yew used his power to crack down on corruption without fear or favour, Dr M appeared not to be aggressive on this score. It cannot be a coincidence that Malaysia began appearing on Transparency International’s global corruption lists by the time the 2000s rolled around. It was a dubious first for the country.
The ex-physician seemed to be at odds with some of the policies he had proclaimed earlier. His Vision 2020, for example, spoke of a single Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian race) whose people walked “free and equal under the Malaysian sun.” But the Bangsa Malaysia mantra didn’t really take off big time to forge a united people.
On the contrary, he’s consistently harped on issues of race and religion while simultaneously decrying their use. His current preoccupation is that Malay interests are under threat from without. He does not specify the threat, and it’s the old “us-them” bogey all over again.
He once had this to say about a certain prominent politician: “A leopard cannot change its spots.”
The same might be said of him.
The thoughts of the writer are entirely his own.
WE