Mahathir calls the Indians Kelings (Video Inside)
THE THIRD FORCE
Back in the late fifties, Dr Mahathir Mohamad confided in the late Tunku Abdullah bin Tuanku Abdul Rahman that the Indians were “a troublesome and quarrelsome race” that “did not have much of a future in Malaya.” Back then, the former premier did not mind being called a “mixed breed,” provided that UMNO recognised the then premier, Tunku Abdul Rahman, as being of Thai ancestry.
However, when Mahathir became Prime Minister, things changed.
Barely had he cozied into his new role, he began sidelining the Indian community by placing more emphasis on the Chinese instead. Rumour had it that the Kedah doctor, born to the family of Mohamad bin Iskandar Kutty (pic below), did not want to let the public know about his Keralan ancestry. Not only was he silent about it, there was even an “unwritten code” in Barisan National that no one was to ever speak of it.
