Mahathir & The Recipe for Disaster
Mahathir's privatisation, industrialisation and socio-economic programmes had created more bottlenecks, abuses, wastage and complacency than positive results. From highways, IPPs, and others, Malaysians are made to pay for the lopsided contracts signed by the government.
Khoo Kay Peng
Mahathir has proven himself to be a very inconsistent man. He told a largely Chinese audience in Beijing that Malaysia must return to having a strong government to manage the global financial crisis and place the country back on the growth path. Mahathir's recipe for an economic success is the return of BN's two-thirds parliamentary majority.
In 2004, Abdullah won an unprecedented 91% parliamentary majority. Then, Mahathir had called for a stronger opposition, claiming that a government with an absolute majority will become corrupt. He was a proponent of a stronger opposition presence in parliament to play an effective check-and-balance role.
Now that his protege, Najib (with whom Mahathir got touchy-feely and kissy), has taken over the mantle of leadership the ex-strongman is calling for a chilly return of two-thirds majority.
