Mahathir, the Malays and Race

         Alan Sipress wrote in the Washington Post: Publicly, Mahathir has said his chief regret has been his failure to hoist the Malay majority to the same level as the country's non-Malays, in particular the Chinese. He has overseen years of affirmative action that steered public contracts and other benefits to Malays. This has enriched an elite close to the ruling party. But many Malays feel bypassed. "The great irony is that this great Malay nationalist wanted to lift up the Malay people by their bootstraps to new heights and now these very same people can't wait to see the back of him," said Edmund Terence Gomez, a social analyst at the University of Malaya. [Source: Alan Sipress, Washington Post, October 27, 2003]

        Ian Buruma wrote in The New Yorker: “Mahathir, whose father had some Indian ancestry, had always been obsessed with race, and the modern era of Malaysian politics can be traced to his book “The Malay Dilemma,” published in 1970, a decade before he came to power.  It is a distillation of the kind of social Darwinism imbibed by Southeast Asians of Dr Mahathir’s cohort through their colonial education.  The Malay race, the book argues, couldn’t compete with the Chinese for genetic reasons. Whereas the Chinese had been hardened over the centuries by harsh climates and fierce competition, the Malays were a lazy breed, fattened by an abundance of food under the tropical sun.   Unfettered competition with the Chinese “would subject the Malays to the primitive laws that enable only the fittest to survive,” Dr Mahathir warned his fellow-nationals. “If this is done it would perhaps be possible to breed a hardy and resourceful race capable of competing against all comers. Unfortunately, we do not have four thousand years to play around with.” [Source: Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, May 15, 2009 >>>]

        “And so the Malays had to be protected by systematic affirmative action: awarded top positions and mandatory ownership of business enterprises, along with preferential treatment in public schools, universities, the armed forces, the police and the government bureaucracy. Otherwise the “immigrants,” as the ruling party still calls the Chinese and the Indians, would take over. “The Malay Dilemma” was immediately banned for being divisive.  The country was still reeling from the race riots of 1969, when, after a predominantly Chinese party enjoyed an election victory, hundreds of Chinese were attacked by Malays. Killings led to counter-killings. Such intergroup tensions were hardly new: ever since Britain left its former colony, political parties have used ethnic resentments to gain votes, while PAS sought to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state.  Presiding over this fraught mosaic of ethnic and religious politics throughout the nineteen-sixties was the aristocratic Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman “” until, in the fall of 1970, he was brought down by the brand of Malay nationalism advocated in Dr Mahathir’s book.” >>>

Corruption Under Mahathir

        Although Mahathir championed himself as a corruption fighter and friend of the poor, the gap between rich and poor and cronyism rose under his watch. He awarded contacts for some of Malaysia’s biggest multibillion dollar projects to his friends and friends of his ministers.  Still, these friends had to perform. If they didn’t they were purged.

        In a typical case, a company owned Mahathir’s close friend Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, was awarded the contract to bought the a new $3.8 billion railroad across peninsular Malaysia.  The contract was awarded without any competitive bidding and previous deals made with China and India were canceled.

         Mahathir Mohamad claimed he was not corrupt. He took only a $4,000 a year salary and turned over gifts and cars given to him to the state museum on the island of Langkawi.   He told Newsweek that whenever the topic of his children come up at meetings he excuses himself. “They’re not idiots, they are doing well in business,” he said.  In 2001, Mahathir’s son Mokhzani told Newsweek that he was probably worth about $60 million. A good chunk if his money came from a hospital supply contract for the southern provinces o Malaysia.

Malaysian Tycoon Claims Mahathir Forced Him to Buy Malaysian Airlines

       In July 2006, an ex-tycoon has accused former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad of forcing him in 1994 to buy a controlling stake in Malaysian Airline to bail out the government. AFP reported: “Tajudin reportedly purchased a controlling stake of 29 percent in Malaysia Airlines in 1994 from the central bank, paying about twice the market price for the ailing carrier.  The well-connected tycoon claims a conspiracy over the deal and is suing the government and a number of state-owned companies for 13.46 billion ringgit ($3.69 billion), according to Malaysia's Sun newspaper.  Tajudin was one of a number of Malay entrepreneurs hand-picked by Mahathir in business dealings as part of efforts to boost the wealth of the country's majority ethnic group, or bumiputras as they are called.  Analysts have said the affair has shed light on long-held beliefs about government assistance given to bumiputra businessmen in the country. [Source: AFP, July 25, 2006]

        Associated Press reported: “Tajudin Ramli filed a court document 29, saying his purchase of the 32 percent stake in Malaysian Airline System Bhd for 1.8 billion ringgit, then worth US$750 million, was not a normal commercial deal as was made out at the time but a forced "national service."  If true, Tajudin's allegations would point to shady financial practices and lack of transparency in the government in the 1990s when many private entrepreneurs with close links to top politicians were obliged to carry out business on behalf of the state and received favors. [Source: AP, July 7, 2006 |*|]

       “The Sun said Tajudin's court document was in support of a lawsuit that he filed against the government and other individuals, seeking 13 billion ringgit in compensation, alleging a conspiracy by the government to take over his companies. Tajudin claims he was directed by Mahathir and his then-finance minister Daim Zainuddin to buy the MAS shares from the airline's main owner, the central bank, for 8 ringgit per share even though its market price was 3.50 ringgit a share. Tajudin said Mahathir and Daim told him he was buying the shares as a national service to save the central bank, the Bank Negara, which at the time was hit by multibillion ringgit foreign exchange losses. |*|

       “Tajudin was hailed then as a national hero.   But in his court document, Tajudin says he was a reluctant hero.  He says he did not want to buy the stake as he was worried about financial losses, but agreed to do it because it was a directive from the government.  He also claims that Mahathir and Daim assured him verbally he would be protected from financial losses and liabilities.  But he was told by the two leaders not to reveal this arrangement.  "Due to the sensitive nature [of the deal] Tajudin did not seek any written confirmation from Mahathir or Daim, " the Sun said. "Tajudin had never known [Mahathir] ... to renege on any agreement before." Tajudin took out a personal bank loan to fund the purchase of the stake and pledged his companies, Naluri and Technology Resources Industries Bhd (TRI), as collateral. |*|

       “After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, his debt-ridden companies were taken over by the state debt restructuring agency Danaharta. Also, TRI-owned Celcom, a mobile phone operator, was forced to merge with the state-owned phone company, Telekom Malaysia.   In 2000, the government repurchased Tajudin's Malaysia Airlines stake for 8 ringgit, even though the market price was around 3.6 ringgit, causing a public outrcry that the government was bailing out a crony.   But Tajudin says he was a victim rather than a beneficiary because Danaharta not only took over his companies but also sued him in May this year to recover 589 million ringgit that it claims he still owes to the government.  Tajudin said he filed the 13 billion ringgit lawsuit and revealed the secret deal with Mahathir because of Danaharta's actions.” |*|

Mahathir denied the allegations. "I don't remember instructing him to buy MAS shares. At that time the government was not short of money. Yes we lost some money but we know what to do, how to recover, and we recovered," Mahathir told reporters. "Perhaps you should ask him how he came up with the conclusion that I forced him to buy MAS...I don't ask people to do national service.” Recalling his version of events, the former premier said he was informed of Tajudin's interest in buying MAS by then finance minister Daim Zainuddin -- who himself has been dogged by corruption allegations. [Source: AFP, July 25, 2006]

Repression Under Mahathir

       After nearly losing an election in 1987 and facing leadership challenges among his own party, Mahathir placed the independent judiciary under parliamentary control, threw critics in jail without a trial or even charges, and muzzled the free press.  As the years passed after that he became more authoritarian and accusations of cronyism and running the country through a system of political patronage increased.

       Under Mahathir, Malaysia’s political culture became increasingly centralised and authoritarian, due to Mahathir's belief that the multiethnic Malaysia could only remain stable through controlled democracy.  The Internal Security Act was invoked in October 1987 arresting 106 people, including opposition leaders. The head of the judiciary and 5 members of the supreme court who had questioned his use of the ISA were also arrested, and a clampdown on Malaysia's press occurred.  This culminated in the dismissal and imprisonment on unsubstantiated charges of the Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, in 1997 after an internal dispute within the government.  The complicity of the judiciary in this piece of persecution was seen as a particularly clear sign of the decline of Malaysian democracy. [Source: Wikipedia]

        Mahathir concentrated power more and more and more in his own hands without being accountable to anyone.   He controlled the police and his image stood behind every cash register in Malaysia.  Young people were arrested for "spreading false news on the Internet."  Mahathir used to joke that maybe he was the first dictator in the world to be elected in the democratic process.

Under Mahathir, Richard Lloyd Parry wrote in The Times: “Malaysia was a democracy, but a timid one in which the press agreed with almost everything the government said.   Those who spoke out against the government were liable to find themselves locked up without trial under the British colonial era’s Internal Security Act.  One of the low points for human rights came in 1998 when Anwar Ibrahim, his then deputy, was arrested on charges of sodomy and corruption — charges that many still regard as trumped up by allies of Dr Mahathir, who felt threatened by the younger man’s popularity.  He appeared in court with his face bruised from a beating in police custody.   The perpetrator, it later turned out, was Dr Mahathir’s own chief of police. [Source: Richard Lloyd Parry, The Times, October 30, 2006 ///]

       “In his 22 years as their prime minister, the prickly Dr Mahathir was not noted for his tolerance of criticism, constructive or otherwise.  Newspapers toed the government line or soon found themselves in difficulty, and judges whose rulings were not to Dr Mahathir’s liking were unceremoniously dismissed.  It was an open secret that his method of governing combined strong state intervention with complex patterns of political patronage, but curiosity about the lucrative business opportunities enjoyed by his sons and specially favoured associates was robustly discouraged.   Anwar Ibrahim, the deputy he initially groomed to succeed him, spent years in prison on trumped-up charges for daring to say publicly that corruption had reached critical dimensions. ///

Human Rights Under Mahathir

       The Mahathir government banned rallies, took the police from their normal jobs and used them to initimidate members of the opposition, and discharged people on trumped up terrorism, murder and robbery charges.   When asked about the American concept of freedom and human rights," Mahathir roared, "Free for whom? For rogue speculators. For anarchists wanting to destroy weak countries in their crusade for open societies."

       Many ordinary Malaysians were afraid of openly criticizing the government out of fear of what might happen to them.  Civil servants had been forced to sign a “good behavior” document that made it easier for the government to fire them if they criticize the government.  Students were kicked out of university and a lecturer was fired and 47 other were disciplined for engaging in “anti-government” activities.

       Alan Sipress wrote in the Washington Post: Hishamuddin Rais, 51, a filmmaker and columnist, was released in 2003 after two years in prison under Malaysia's draconian internal security act, often used to silence political opponents and human rights advocates.  Rais was jailed following his role in organizing street protests....Recalling the weeks spent in solitary confinement -- the spartan underground cell, the handcuffs and blindfold, and the long hours of abusive interrogation -- Rais suddenly looks away, his brow deeply furrowed. He was not physically tortured, he said.  But he conceded: "I broke down. I cried." Rais, once a student activist, said he has seen the spirit of Malaysia's universities crushed during Mahathir's rule.  "The campuses have become very docile, kind of barren areas where contending ideas are no longer debated," he said. "This is a very dangerous situation.  They are a breeding ground for one-track thinking like Muslim fundamentalism." [Source: Alan Sipress, Washington Post, October 27, 2003]

See Separate Article ANWAR IBRAHIM

My comments:
        I enjoy reading this kind of History of Malaysia as against the History texts written by professional historians much dictated by the authorities concerned.  Nowadays we have sufficient supply of this kind of well-endorsed authentic history available on the internet.  I fully agree with the Taiwan's writer and ex-politician called 龙应台。I read a newspaper interview of her in Sin Chew Daily News two days ago (27/6/2018).  She shared her point of view of democracy of Taiwan.  She described her viewpoints on democracy so vividly and beautifully.  It was so impressive that I read with my full attention to every detail and can still remember the key points.
      Here I only want to share her point on dictated History texts and history by the words of mouth which she encourages younger to get it from their elders.  Ya, we can only get the true and authentic version of History to pass on.  It is a first-hand knowledge, too.  The dictated History is like processed foods which are so altered to recognise what is what in the foods.  That's why nowadays, very few people bother to take 'processed History' seriously.  Luckily, we have the internet which I always see it a God-gifted tool for truth though the fake news is also there to distract you.