Why Mahathir should keep out of the arena
Umar Mukhtar
Malaysians must be disciplined enough to distinguish between the investigations into the controversy surrounding the management of 1MDB and the role of Dr Mahathir Mohamad and gang (ANC) in alleging Prime Minister Najib Razak’s culpability in presumed wrongdoings. They have never been of similar concerns to us who are fair-minded.
The former is a subject of deep concern to us because any intentional or unintentional mismanagement of 1MDB resulting in financial loss may be burdened on the people.
The latter is an opportunistic political agenda that presupposes Najib’s guilt, which will be the basis for a change of prime minister, thus enabling other political intentions to fruition.
Admittedly, the argument is that because politics have been used to camouflage the truth, political pressure becomes necessary. To a certain extent, this is valid but not to the extent that it can be assumed that the particular political pressure applied is holistic and the pursuit of truth by that means is not without appending extraneous baggage.
The difference between the two is fine and appreciable. The first one basically attempts to see forensically if a law has been breached and by whom. Then consequential actions will follow accordingly. Whether there is any sequential action or not is no indication that wrongdoings have or have not been committed.
The second one chooses to pressure a particular party to act in a manner that indicates culpability just because that party shoulders the responsibility that things are kept alright, even before the facts become clear if at all that things are not alright.
The first one must necessarily be objective and methodical, and the second one is by its very nature, pregnant with the assumptions, innuendos, implications and prejudgements that justify its emergence in the first place.
But they are two separate things which can operate simultaneously and over the same matter. But it doesn’t lead to any causal relationship between the two.
Just because the first one fails to find anything of liable in nature, it does not mean that the second one is totally irrelevant. Vice versa, just because the second one has quietened down for whatever reason, it does not mean that the first one confirms everything is alright with 1MDB.
This has to be clear to all Malaysians. The reason being many tend to think Mahathir’s lack of progress in mounting the second one is an indication that there’s nothing wrong at 1MDB! His slow progress or failure is in things that have nothing much to do with the truth in 1MDB. His own shortcomings perhaps, his senility and credibility on this kind of things perhaps.
That is why Mahathir should be kept away from this controversy. In fact, it could have been easier to come to the truth either way if Mahathir is kept in bed. Perhaps he just wants to ride along to cleanse himself of past misdeeds and perhaps to mop up residual power to preserve his legacies and his frivolous future agendas?
His presence in the arena and vocal protestations have opened up his own vulnerability to be ‘shot’ at by those who want this matter kept quiet, at the expense of initiatives to investigate 1MDB. The vicariousness is misplaced. After all, he only latched his political agenda on to the 1MDB scandal after he had failed to remove Najib for whatever reason.
Mahathir is the bonus that Najib does not deserve. It is made to look as if to defeat Mahathir is to expunge somebody’s guilt. The people have never elected this old man to represent them in seeking the truth. Now he is our albatross. But for sure he will be there to collect accolades when the matter is resolved.
Such is the pretender we have had for 22 years as the PM who upset the foundations of this nation to grow healthily to be what it deserves.
