FITNAH
Someone drew my attention to an article in a business weekly pullout recently. It is about a book on his father, Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman by the Tun's eldest son, Tawfik Ismail.
2. In the interview Tawfik took the opportunity to make out what a monster I was.
3. I quote below extracts of what he said happened when he was dropped as a Member of Parliament in 1990.
4. Tawfik explains; "Mahathir called me into his office before the election. I was with my journalist friends when he called, so they started joking that I was going to be a deputy minister. Sorry to disappoint them…I went to see Mahathir and the first thing he said was, "You know not every son can be like his father", Tawfik recalls, "I thought to myself, 'bloody insult'". Then he continued, "All of my backbenchers have to be people who stand up when I walk in, thump the table and say, Long Live Mahathir! And my Ministers are not supposed to think for themselves. I think and they do what I want them to do."
5. "I'm thinking this man does not have a high opinion of his Ministers. He actually says, I don't want intelligent, honest, hardworking people in politics. People like you should be in business."
6. I hope Tawfik had a clear conscience whe he said all these. I cannot imagine myself saying that "my backbenchers have to be people who stand up when I walk in, thump the table and say Long Live Mahathir!"
7. People did stand up when I walk in, but that is common politeness in Malaysia. I stood up when the Tunku or Tun Razak or Hussein Onn came into a room where I and others were. But when I was Prime Minister nobody ever thumped the table and say "Long Live Mahathir!"
8. As to saying to Tawfik, "my Ministers are not supposed to think for themselves. I think and they do what I want them to do."
9. This is sheer fabrication. No Prime Minister ever called in a candidate to tell him that he would be made a deputy minister or minister when he wins an election. I had never talked about reshuffling nor about the quality of the ministers to be appointed.
10. I think it would be difficult for people to remember Tawfik and what he stood for. His performance as an UMNO backbencher was not in any way remarkable. He was not even an ordinary member of UMNO's Supreme Council. Even at division level he did not shine.
