Blunt Malaysian Leaders Has An
Answer For Everything
by David Lamb (Times Staff Writer)
He wouldn't put it quite this way, but the past year has been a bit mystifying to PM
MAHADEATH, who has towered over Malaysian politics a none before him and whose legacy,
until an economic crisis, had seemed assured.
Why would Malaysians call for one of Asia's longest-serving leaders to resign after all
he's done for them? Why would his most trusted ally, a man he created politically, turn on
him? Why would the West vilify him after he used free markets to build one of the worlds'
fastest-growing economies? Why would journalists brand him a dictator and anti-Semite when
his record is nothing of the sort? Why would radical Muslims call for his assassination
when he is a faithful Muslim?
Mahathir, 73, who is as blunt as he is combative, has never ducked a fight of hidden
behind a "no comment," and in a recent interview, he had explanations on each
count. They reflected his anger and sense of betrayal. He created the very model of the
capitalistic nation that the West encourages in Southeast Asia, only to see 40 years of
economic process undone, he says by Malaysia enemies in the West.
On foreign journalists Yes, I think they deliberately lie. They dont like the
way I talk back to them when they are wrong. They live on the misery of others. They live
on creating misery for others. They live on telling lies about others.
On the West The West is constantly running us down, saying we as Asians cant
set up a good government, that we must be corrupt and all that. I would like to point out
the West is no less corrupt, and maybe more corrupt. So dont be racist and make out
as if Asians are corrupt (and) Europeans are not.
On anti-Mahathir demonstrations in the streets If you look carefully at that picture
(on recent magazine cover) you will find that these so-called reformists are people who
wear torn clothing, you know, the kind of hippie people who are beer drinkers, with
Budweiser on their shirts. I dont know if its true, but these people claim they were
paid to demonstrate.
On former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the erstwhile ally who was ultimately
sacked, arrested, beaten in jail by the police chief and, finally convicted on corruption
charges : He tried to overthrow me. Hes the one who turned the issue into a
political problem. The fact is he couldnt accept that hes not the first
minister to be removed. Others have been removed and found guilty by the courts, even of
murder.
On tapes that Islamic fundamentalists have secretly circulated calling for the
assassination of Malaysian leaders : They are trying to stir up the worst kind of
feelings among Muslims. We have never had theses things happen before. But some crazy chap
might just do something crazy like assassinating people. We take threat seriously.
All vintage Mahathir. Strong-willed, stubborn and very much a visionary, Mahathir may be,
after 18 years in power, the last of a breed. As societies in the region become more open
and democratic, the day of leaders staying aat the helm for a generation or more and
single-handedly shaping the destiny of their countires Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam,
Suharto of Indonesia, Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, Mahathir of Malaysia may well be
nearing an end.
Mahathir still punches a time clock when he comes to work every morning. He endlessly
scribbles in 2-by-3-inch spiral notebooks on ways to uplift Malaysia. (Improve the
infrastructure of water sewerage, says the most recent entry.) He drives himself
through this capital on Sundays, making notes on potholes and parks that need sprucing up.
Hes even been known to stop the new airport to check the cleanliness of public
bathrooms.
PICTURE OF HIM
IS OFTEN INACCURATE
A physician before entering politics, Mahathir or Dr. M as may call him most
admires President Nelson Mandela of South Africa among todays leaders, enjoys the
novels of Wilbur smith and Robert Ludlum, finds time for few hobbies other than horseback
riding, is uncomfortable with small talk and appears not to have enriched himself during
35 years in politics, Western Diplomats said.
Hes acerbic, crotchety and self-righteous said one European envoy.
That said, Id agree the picture the West gets of him is one-sided and often
inaccurate. Hes done a lot of great things for Malaysia, and on some controversial
issues hes right. But he never dodges a question, he takes risks and that gets him
in trouble.
Mahathir, for instance, stirred up a hornets nest last year when he blamed
Malaysias economic crisis on hedge-fund traders such as George Soros and on Jews.
Im not saying every Jew is bad. He said, but the fact remains
Soros is a Jew and he attacked us. Just because I said that doesnt mean Im
anti-Jew.
Though branded by some as an anti-Semite because of the comment, Mahathir is the one who
overcame opposition from Parliament and Islamic groups to bring an Israeli cricket team to
Malaysia two years ago. He also sponsors Israeli students on two-week study tours to
Malaysia because we believe there should be Understanding between Muslims and
Jews.
Mahathirs fight for womens right led in 1997, after a seven-year battle in
Parliament, to Malaysia becoming the only Southeast Asia country with a law against
domestic violence. And when a radical mullah recently said, It would be better to
wallow in mud with pigs than shake the hand of a woman, there wasnt a word of
protest, even from groups supporting womens and human rights. Only Mahathir lashed
out publicly against the comment.
While most remain silent, he stands up to fundamentalists who want to turn Malaysia into a
sectarian Islamic state. He also, Western political analysts say, is the primary force
that created racial harmony and a large middle class in a society populated by Malays,
Indians and Chinese a contribution Mahathir considers his proudest achievement. In
1969, race riots in Malaysia claimed 300 lives.
I think the reason he irritates so many people is because he doesnt fit the
Hollywood stereotype of an Asian said his daughter, Marina Mahathir, a 41-year old
activists against AIDS and for womens rights. Asian leaders are meant to be
yes-sir, no-sir. They are polite. They avoid controversy and conflict. Dad
doesnt cater to that. He likes to fight. Hes brutally honest. Thats the
problem. But its not his problem. Its other peoples problem.
TRYING TO ERASE INFERIORITY COMPLEX
In the span of a generation, Mahathir took Malaysians from the rice paddies to the
semiconductor plants. He is obsessed with making Malaysia an industrialized country by
2020 (which is the license plate of his locally produced Perdana Sedan), and he is still
shaped, he admits, by the experience of growing up under British colonial rule and being
told Malays were inferior, uneducated and not capable of accomplishing much worthwhile.
:We grew up with an inferiority complex, being told we were aborigines from the
jungle, said Sen. Zainuddin Maidin. Now, foreigners come here and look up at
the tallest building in the world, at the newest airport in the region, and they say,
Wow, look at all Malaysia has done.
That gives us psychological esteem. Thats Mahathirs great strength. He has
given us confidence. His weakness is his stubbornness and the fact that he will sacrifice
friends to achieve what he believes in.
When Malaysia became independent in 1957, per capita income was $350 a year. By the
beginning of 1997, it was nearly $5,000 and Malaysia had been transformed into on eof
Asias economic tigers. It was the trendy place for hedge-fund managers
to park their funds and billions of dollars poured into Malaysian stocks and projects,
often without much research. On June 17, 1997, the International Monetary Fund praised
Malaysias economic fundamentals and said Malaysias economic fundamentals and
said Mahathirs policies justified the confidence investors had shown.
Two weeks later, the currency in neighboring Thailand collapsed, heralding a crisis that
eventually damaged economies across Asia and around the globe. Hedge-fund managers pulled
their money out of Malaysia as quickly as they had put it in, The economic
tigers, Mahathir said have not become whimpering kittens.
ECONOMIC WOES INCREASE CALLS TO STEP DOWN
The Malaysian currency, the ringgit,lost 60% of its value, per capita income by late 1997
had fallen to about $1,500, and $ 100 billion was wiped out of the local stock market.
Mahathir says the meltdown has cost Malaysi $ 140 billion.
Of course, Im angry that 40 long years of toil and sweat have been destroyed in a
very short period of time, Mahathir said. On top of that were being
blamed for destroying our economy when we know we werent the cause. To re-create
this wealth will take a long time, a decade or more. Its the waste that angers me.
So much wasted effort, so many lost dreams.
There are still many Malaysians who support Mahathir. Many others appreciate his
achievements but think its time for him to step aside. He said he had intended to
retire last year a plan that was derailed by the economic crisis and the Anwar
affair. Bu he said he wont quit now because it would appear he was running from
tough times. He plans to stand again in the next general election Malaysia
elections are legitimate, hard-fought and do not provide the prime minister with a free
ride which will be held by April 2000.
An how would Mahathir, who had heart bypass surgery in 1989, like to be remembered by
history? He chuckled softly, which is about as demonstrative as he ever gets. Oh, I
really dont care, he said. In 40 years Im not going to be around,
and when you are dead, people will say nasty things about you
It doesnt make
a difference to me. I just want to do what I can for my country while Im
alive.