Has Mahathir Really Been Forgiven?
While it is being portrayed that those who suffered at the hands of Mahathir have forgiven him, the truth is far from reality.
Tajuddin Rosli
Ever since the opposition leaders decided to form a coalition of convenience with Tun Mahathir, they have adopted a stand that they have all forgiven Mahathir for his atrocities towards them. As Adolf Hitler once said, “Make the lie big, make the lie simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.”
While it is being portrayed that those who suffered at the hands of Mahathir have forgiven him, the truth is far from reality. Only the political opportunists such as Anwar Ibrahim, Dr. Wan Azizah, Lit Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Nurul Izzah, and those in the political limelight have embraced him. What about the non-politicians who also suffered, which are significantly larger in number?
Human Rights Group, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) has always maintained their stand against Mahathir’s leadership. They have gone as far as calling Mahathir another ‘Hitler’. Before the keyboard warriors lambast Suaram and allege they are shadow-puppets of Najib, one should understand who they are.
Suaram was formed in 1989 in a direct response to Mahathir’s Ops Lalang with the vision to protect and promote human rights in a society that is just, equal and democratic. Suaram consists of ex-ISA detainees and their family members, lawyers, and social activists. Suaram battles against oppressive laws and were instrumental in the repealing of ISA and the Emergency Ordinance (Public Order and the Prevention of Crime).
In an event remembering Ops Lalang that was held a few months ago, former political detainees recalled the trauma endured during detainment. Women activists like Lim Chin Chin, Dr. Cecillia Ng, and Dr. Chee Heng Leng were accused of being Marxists and were arrested upon Mahathir’s orders.
Lim recalled how she was physically and mentally abused during the entire ordeal. Another detainee, Irene, recollected how she was tortured for 355 days during the detention without trial. PSM’s Dr. Nasir Hashim, Tan Kah Kheng, and Dr. Kua Kia Soong also shared their bitter experiences in prison. None of the above activists have forgiven Mahathir, till today. Dr. Kua and Dr. Nasir still hold on to their stand that Mahathir should not be given another chance at the helm.
In fact, unlike Bersih who keeps mum when it involves Mahathir presently, Suaram has also taken Najib to task with the Scorpene submarine deal, Najib’s visit to the White House, and several more issues involving the BN government.
Besides those mentioned above, non-politicians like Nurul Nuha Anwar and Sangeet Kaur Deo have also expressed caution towards Mahathir. As for the generation who lived through the dark ages of Mahathirism, most are wary about Dr. M.
Many of those I know who have supported Pakatan in the last polls have pledged to either not vote or vote BN instead in the upcoming elections to send a message to the opposition.
For those who say Mahathir has changed, let me remind you what Mahathir said less than 6 months ago in a town hall session with youths. Although he has acknowledged illegal detentions during Ops Lalang, he was not apologetic for the same. Mahathir said that he would not shy away from repeating Ops Lalang when someone from the audience asked if he would react differently today.
We entrusted Mahathir to lead the nation and continue the progression of Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn, but he rode the country on reverse mode. We may have monstrous concrete jungles, but we also boast a third world mindset.
“Sorry” works when a mistake is made, but not when trust is broken. Because, forgiving is easy; forgetting and trusting again is sometimes impossible for Mahathir’s pseudo-apology and his amnesic denial during his two decades of premiership.
