DAP’s Liew Chin Tong defends Dr Mahathir
Liew Chin Tong
There is a concerted campaign to paint Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as an enemy greater than even those who betrayed the people’s mandate for Pakatan Harapan and now sitting on the Perikatan Nasional side.
I don’t subscribe to that.
No one is perfect and Dr. Mahathir is not without his flaws. But to see Dr. Mahathir as a foe is a non-starter and self-defeating.
Without Dr. Mahathir turning himself a game-changer by forming an opposition party in 2016 and aligning himself with arch-rival Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 2017, there would not be the political miracle of 2018.
In my meetings with Dr. Mahathir, I disagreed with some of his economic views, but I shared most of his views on international relations and on defence. Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Razak Hussein valued the role that Malaysia plays on the global stage. It is unfortunate that Tun Abdullah Badawi, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and quite likely Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin are more transactional in inclination when it comes to foreign affairs.
Dr. Mahathir’s international views are pragmatic but value-based. Malaysia’s “middle power” role is most articulated during his tenures as prime minister.
Dr. Mahathir’s views on defence are very sharp and clear too. He is clear about Malaysia’s defensive posture and put significant emphasis on unconventional warfare. Sparring with him on defence issues was intellectually stimulating. It is under his second premiership that Malaysia produced its first-ever Defence White Paper (DWP).
Dr. Mahathir is still the political force whom those in Perikatan is most fearful of. He could spring a surprise that his opponents would least expect. When it was suggested to Dr. Mahathir to let Dato’ Seri Shafie Apdal be the Prime Ministerial candidate, he made the momentous decision not to offer himself as Prime Minister for the third time in just two minutes.
We need greater solidarity and unity among all opposition parties without which we would see the nation rot and plundered.
On his 95th birthday, I sincerely hope together with Dr. Mahathir, who is not offering himself as PM candidate but as a super campaigner, Malaysians can rise to occasion of nation building for a second time.
