The Hypocrisy behind Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

It is really funny how something innately wrong, like corruption, is only seen to be wrong when a particular person says it is wrong. The things that are being complained of have been going on for decades. It is only recently when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (“Tun”) started speaking out that suddenly everyone grew a sense of consciousness and righteousness.

I think it’s important to note from the offset, that I do recognise the contributions made by Tun especially from a financial aspect. Essentially his tenure was one of economic stability over human rights. However, this came at a very big cost. Let me outline how the downfall of this country was ultimately caused by operations that were put into play and/or nurtured during Tun’s tenure as Prime Minister.

Corruption

Corruption and cronyism were widespread during Tun’s tenure. Just to provide a few examples: the 1998 Pahang logging concession, where the Pahang State Legislative Assembly awarded a logging concession for about 10,000 acres of land to UMNO Pahang despite there being a clear conflict of interest; the Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (Bank Bumiputra’s wholly owned Hong Kong subsidiary), where loans amounting to approximately RM2.5 billion were made to George Tan’s Carrian group (Bank Bumiputra was set up to provide bumiputeras with access to funding); the Malaysian Mining Company scandal; the reclamation of 10 islands off Kedah; the Chief Ministers during his tenure were amongst the most corrupted individuals in this country (Khir Toyo and Taib Mahmud as prime examples).

The cronyism culture in UMNO was perfectly summed by Bung Mokhtar in a parliamentary debate, where he proudly said (with applause from UMNO members):

“Terima kasih. Saya rasa Yang Berhormat sudah lama meninggalkan UMNO sebab itu dia tidak tahu apa perkembangan... [Tepuk] Sebetulnya, kita pun Ahli-ahli UMNO, ketua-ketua bahagian pun marah dengan pucuk pimpinan sebab kita minta projek tidak dapat. Semua open tender.”

Corruption and cronyism were nurtured during Tun’s tenure to the extent that it formed part of the system. Even if the 1MDB mess is cleaned up, or if Najib is replaced, the actual problem will still be present. The root of the problem is the system, which was built up for decades and has now become a “norm”.

Judiciary

During the 1980’s and the period before that, the Malaysian judiciary was one that was highly respected globally for its independence and competence. Of course, this flies at the face on the concept of dictatorship. The judicial activism displayed by the courts in providing an effective check and balance system didn’t bode well with Tun. He began a rancorous campaign against the judiciary, which ultimately resulted in the removal of the Lord President and two other Supreme Court justices for upholding the rule of law. Article 121(1) of the Constitution was amended, and numerous legislations were amended to include ouster clauses to remove the courts inherent power of reviewing executive decisions. These vicious attacks led to the downfall of the independence and competence of the judiciary. The judiciary hasn’t recovered ever since.

Islamization

During Tun’s tenure, UMNO began an islamisation policy to implement its version of Islam to counter the PAS version of Islam which was labelled as extremist and fanatical. Certain sects were declared deviationists, and Islamic institutions, such as banks, universities and research institutions were launched. This worked well for Tun both locally and internationally. This sparked the debate between UMNO and PAS as to whose version of Islam was correct, which ultimately provided the platform to use religion as a political tool. UMNO’s ultimate objective, which focused on upholding Malay rights, had an added dimension of upholding Islam. Before Tun’s time, there was really no issue of Malaysia being anything but a secular country. In 2001, Tun declared that Malaysia was an Islamic state. This led to similar assertions by various UMNO ministers. This eventually bred and nurtured the religious extremism we see today, which threatens the very fabric that holds our society together and the fundamental principles underlying our Constitution.

Conclusion

I am not saying what is being right now by Tun is incorrect, or should not be done. However, the public should never forget what was done, which eventually led to what is being complained of. As much as many might not want to accept this, Tun planted the seeds and nurtured the plants in the very field he is trying to burn down now.