The hypocrisy behind Dr Mahathir
Surendra Ananth, The Malaysian Insider
It is really funny how something innately wrong, like corruption, is only seen to be wrong when a particular person says it is. The things that are being complained of have been going on for decades. But it was only recently when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad 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 Dr Mahathir, 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 Dr Mahathir’s tenure as prime minister.
Corruption
Corruption and cronyism were widespread during Dr Mahathir’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 (Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo and Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud as prime examples).
The cronyism culture in Umno was perfectly summed by Datuk 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… 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 Dr Mahathir’s tenure to the extent that it formed part of the system. Even if the 1MDB mess is cleaned up, or if Datuk Seri Najib Razak 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 1980s 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 Dr Mahathir. 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 since.
