‘Nothing to Hide’ forums are fake shows of concerns

By MT Webmaster On Aug 16, 2017

It is no secret that the Memali massacre bore Mahathir’s thumbprint all over it. However, instead of assuming blame for the unwarranted bloodshed, Mahathir jettisoned all moral obligations and dumped the blame on his then deputy premier Musa Hitam.

Jeswan Kaur, Berita Daily

It was and has come to be the most damning and outrageous of events. Yet, politicians from both divides continue to make a mockery of their political savviness by lending credence to the ludicrous ‘Nothing to Hide’ forums.

Conceived in 2015 supposedly to expose the wrongdoings of the present-day administration under Prime Minister Najib Razak, the inaugural ‘Nothing to Hide’ forum met with a dead end with the premier apathetic to it and later doing a U-turn by refusing to attend the event citing security fears.

The initial ‘Nothing to Hide’ forum was organised by law-based NGO SukaGuam and took place at the Putra World Trade Centre.

Agreeing to participate, Najib not surprisingly cowered at the last minute claiming police advice to make a no-show. It was former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad whose surprise visit left many stunned who ended up holding court, speaking to a crowd of some 2,000 people.

Mahathir’s gig, however, lasted a mere six minutes before he was shown the exit door by the police with Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar saying the event was called off to preserve “public order”.

That the ‘Nothing to Hide’ forum, which at best is an antithesis of political thoughts and aspirations, is nothing more than a comic relief for some politicians, has ended up becoming anomalous.

There were no lessons gleaned from the ‘Nothing to Hide’ forum which made its debut. To propaganda-hungry politicians, it offered a chance to berate and humiliate one another in the presence of the rakyat.

The deriding and shaming finally happened, that too with a slipper, shoe, bottles and chairs flung into the crowd during the ‘Nothing to Hide 2.0’ forum held on Aug 13.

Forum leader Mahathir narrowly missed being hit by a slipper. The venue, Dewan Raja Muda Musa hall in Shah Alam, was a scene of chaos, as two flares were also lighted during the incident which has now become the talk of the town.

The rumpus erupted after Mahathir was asked about the Memali incident in Baling, Kedah in 1985 and whether he would assume responsibility for the bloodshed which left 18 people dead, including four policemen.

Some three decades later, a flustered and victimised Musa came out and disclosed the truth behind the Memali murders, categorically holding Mahathir responsible.

The unexpected melee at ‘Nothing to Hide 2.0’ had the session with Mahathir, who also doubles up as Pakatan Harapan chairperson, coming to an abrupt end.

Nothing to Hide forums averse to “honesty”

The antipathy many have towards Mahathir is phenomenal for one reason — his autocratic regime of 22 years and the damage it left on the people and nation is indelible and unpardonable.

One such aversion was voiced by Tourism and Culture Minister Mohd Nazri Aziz, who said Mahathir “deserved” the humiliation at the ‘Nothing to Hide 2.0’ forum.

“He deserves it. If he wants to be a street fighter, that is what you get.

“If you do not want to behave like a statesman but behave like a gangster, that is what you get.

“So he asked for it,” Nazri decried at a press conference.

While politicians like Nazri believe the comeuppance faced by Mahathir is a case of tit for tat, fellow politician Zaid Ibrahim on the other hand finds the ‘Nothing to Hide’ forum a necessary affair.

Zaid, who joined opposition DAP in February this year, is of the view that having more of such forums is the only way to put an end to unscrupulous practices by corrupt politicians.

The former de facto law minister believes the platform offered by ‘Nothing to Hide’ forums acted as the best avenue to defeat the “rogues who have everything to hide”.

“We should not be cowed. I urge the parliamentary opposition to continue having such Nothing to Hide meetings.

“However, other leaders from Pakatan Harapan must participate in the Nothing to Hide gatherings. They must emulate Mahathir Mohamad and not be afraid to answer all kinds of difficult questions,” Zaid opined via his blog posting on Aug 15.

He added that these Pakatan Harapan leaders must also be willing to be open and transparent.

“The people of Malaysia will be happy to have an alternative style of leadership.”

Before Zaid gets entangled with his “rogue” rhetoric, a little reminder – the ‘Nothing to Hide’ forums are not examinations of any kind where participants can indulge in “objective options” i.e. trickery in answering hard-hitting questions.

The essential element for such forums is “honesty”, which the likes of Mahathir and Zaid have an aversion to.

Forums meant to berate opponents

Dare Zaid vouch for Mahathir coming clean at the forum over incidents like Memali, tendering an apology to Musa and embracing responsibility for the unnecessary violence and deaths?

When Mahathir challenged Najib to attend the ‘Nothing to Hide 2.0’ forum, that too by dangling the “ask me anything” carrot, what mischief was the nation’s longest serving prime minister up to?

Was Mahathir plotting to hijack, exploit and manipulate the event and once again cut his opponent to size? Instead of whitewashing Malaysians into supporting ‘Nothing to Hide’ forums, Zaid must have the temerity to acknowledge that all politicians, and he is no exception, are rogues in disguise.

It is bemusing that all the hullabaloo that ‘Nothing to Hide 2.0’ forum courted has spurred Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Yunos to organise a ‘Nothing to Hide 0.3′ on Malaysia Day (Sept 16) in Chow Kit.

Jamal told Berita Daily that he would be inviting Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also DAP secretary-general, for the forum.

“I am inviting Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng together with Azmin Ali. Malaysians want to know about Kit Siang’s origin. Was he born in China and came to Malaysia or was he born and raised in Malaysia?

“Same goes to Guan Eng, where is his origin? We would also want to know about the undersea tunnel in Penang. As for Azmin Ali we want to hear about his manifesto after the GE13,” Jamal said.

Why stop there? Why not question too Putrajaya’s intention behind rewarding fugitive preacher Zakir Naik permanent resident status?

The ;Nothing to Hide’ forums are fake shows of concerns from politicians out to hoodwink and inveigle the people for their support.

All said and done, call it whatever pleases you — ‘Nothing to Hide’ or ‘Come Clean’ or even ‘Spill the Truth’ — none of such forums will ever be the much-needed panacea to cure the country from the abuse of power malaise.

Maybe, just maybe, such forums might somehow end up as “antidepressant” to an already disenchanted rakyat.