An open letter to Dr Mahathir


– Wenger Khairy
The Malaysian Insider
October 30, 2013

Dear Tun,

In 1995, I remember that Malaysia was a land of hope, and the envy of many. Even the great Lee Kuan Yew was casting glances at the great hope that lay ahead – an international port which would suck up the entrepôt trade that had made Singapore so successful and the great Multimedia Super Corridor that would propel Malaysia as the premier hub for Information, Communication Technology.

Alas, almost 20 years later, this is now a pipe dream. Singapore has forged miles ahead whilst Malaysia is still languishing behind, their people divided on the most irrelevant of issues such as whether cows can be slaughtered in public schools and whether non-Muslims can profess belief in Allah.

That is the issues that seem to be on the lips of everybody. Some take one position, others take another.

Let me first clear some of the misconceptions that you would like to have all Malaysians believe. Number one, there is a sizeable majority of non-Malay, non-Muslims who could not care less what the decision is. If, the government decides that cows can be slaughtered in public schools, then so be it. If the government decides, that Allah is only exclusive for Muslims, we could not care less.

We share a desire, like many of Muslim Malay Malaysians for a country that is not ruled based on political expediency but based on an open, transparent Government. We are not different as you would like to point out. We both have desires for a better life, better access to advancement, a safer society and economic advancement. We both would support the government if the government makes tough decisions for the betterment of all people.

But this I have against you. You said that the government is forced to be weak because of us non-Malays. Because of us non-Muslims. You continue to try to use us as your tool in order to try and find relevance in today’s society.

All I can say is that a) You are going to achieve nothing and b) Your pathetic attempts have and will fail. To your credit, you had been the most able Prime Minister in the history of the country. You had great ambition and courage, which you had displayed while you were Prime Minister, and guess what – you were supported by the same non-Malays and non-Mulims whom you are trying so hard to demonise. You were supported not because we agreed with everything you said, but because you were consistent in whatever you tried to get across. People knew very quickly that in the end, you would still focus on a development agenda and at times, you would use the hard stick to whack others into line.

However, you failed to discipline your own flock. You did not have the guts to tell crony businessmen and rent seekers to piss off. Instead, you used their greed to elicit support. You “closed one eyes” to the many abuses that took place and people have formed their own opinions as to why you did so. Perhaps it was due to politics, perhaps due to other factors.

As a retired statesman, you could have had the opportunity to set the record straight. You could have used your previously considerable influence to direct the government into getting its act together and being clean and transparent, instead of being what it is today, but you failed. You tried to garner support by pitting race against race. Faith against faith. Man against man, woman against woman and child against child.

Today, I will tell it to your face that you have failed.

You have not failed in creating division, for you have been very successful in making sure that people are divided by race and religion, but you have failed in gaining any political capital from that. Your son has failed to defeat even the most weakest of candidates in the Umno elections. Your son failed to defeat Khairy Jamaluddin even when he was at his weakest. Your son has failed to defeat Hishammuddin Hussein Onn even when he was known the country over as “Menteri Amaran”. You yourself have failed even to get your own division to elect you to become a delegate to the Umno General Assembly. Politically, you have failed and your influence can only go one way and that is down.

I do not urge you to do anything different because to me, you are a man without hope. You are so stuck in pursuing a race based agenda that I believe it has consumed you. You have decided to throw away a broad based multiracial support in favour of trying to get a race based support. That has been your decision, and you thought you were right.

I just want to end it by saying you have failed, you will be remembered as a failure. – rembautimes.blogspot.com – October 30, 2013

  1. #1 by Bigjoe on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 - 5:48 pm

    When will people get, Mahathir don’t care if they say he is a failure compared to Singapore or otherwise, he don’t care if they call him a racist, abusive, corrupt, religion abuser etc etc.

    Truth is what Mahathir care is 1) his money and wealth and 2) his lies and abuse proven thereby proving him wrong making him a laughing stock.

    Nothing else really matter, you can say loads and loads of negative things about it but so long the majority don’t accept the facts of his work and life was a bad one and wealth take away, he could care less.

  2. #2 by cintanegara on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 - 6:28 pm

    Very childish article indeed….the inro and content are contradictory…..what is relevance of praising other country in this context? Far more useful if this guy takes Penang as an example….governed by incompetent leader….after more than 5 years nothing much changed… very funny…everyone knows Dr Mahathir is a great leader…Malaysians love him so much…pls la…go do some researches and write better article …something that challenges our intellectuality

  3. #3 by good coolie on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 - 6:39 pm

    The trouble with us is that we can allow that despot to intimidate us. He was responsible for breaking the social contract. I ask you, Dr. Mahatir, would the non-Malays have fought the communists and supported independence if they had known they would be second-class citizens in this country? Would the Straits settlement folk have consented to be part of Malaya?

    I would like to think that Tunku never envisaged the sorry state of race relations that exists today. I would like to think that Tan Siew Sin and Sambathan never guessed that Malaysia would come to this sorry state where only some, not all, would be tuans.

  4. #4 by afral abdullah on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 - 6:51 pm

    Mahathir left behind Mahathirism which may take decade to flush it out from the minds of many Malaysians unless leaders he developed in his 22 years of premiership in Umno & the govt are replaced. Though his son failed to secure a place as one of Umno veeps, his position as the Chief Minister of Kedah would still give him the room to continue his father’s legacy. On top of that, almost all leaders in Umno & govt are product of Mahathir. Thus, I don’t see how Mahathirism would disappear any time sooner.
    What is done cannot be undone. Nevermind what he has done to the country in his 22 years rule.
    The fundamental thing is how the country could be ‘repaired’ to avoid further potential damages.

  5. #5 by afral abdullah on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 - 7:48 pm

    Will all due respect, Cinta Negara is even funnier.
    Malaysians love Mahathir?
    Well, surely Not All Malaysians. It’ll be a blatan exageration to claim as such.
    I’m Malaysian. My immediate family are Malaysians. We don’t even like Mahathir. What more love?
    The word intelectuality is too big to digest when our mind is too narrow to differentiate what is right what is wrong.
    I prefer not to be parrots.

  6. #6 by tak tahan on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 - 8:14 pm

    What cintanegara knows la.Nut except blind support n free lunch from his God apanama mudah lupa si nyanyok Mahatai bapa angkat.malu nya tapi asyik kata orang tak tau malu,rupa rupa the shit hit back at him.smile…What’s the point have so good England but can’t get the message across the normal common Malay folks who are struggling for living.Might as well tell ur rubbish and throw some rambutans to amoh lang there.ki si lang.
    lol

  7. #7 by Godfather on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 - 9:19 pm

    Cintarambutan is at it again. He insists that Mamakthir’s fart has no smell.

  8. #8 by cinaindiamelayubersatu on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 - 11:32 pm

    Peduli apa orang cakap,janji aku mahakaya! Aku banyak duit. Terima kasih cintanegara terima kasih, nombor ic berapa? Nanti aku senaraikan kamu dalam list crony aku.

  9. #9 by Noble House on Thursday, 31 October 2013 - 4:44 am

    It is said that “Youth is the time to study wisdom, old age the time to practise it”. Sadly, these are the words missing in Mahathir’s malignant legacy.

    It is better for Tun to talk less and stay home to play “masak-masak” with his grandchildren instead.

  10. #10 by undertaker888 on Thursday, 31 October 2013 - 8:11 am

    Orrr, here comes cintamahafoot daily chanting.

  11. #11 by afral abdullah on Thursday, 31 October 2013 - 8:12 am

    Just look at Mahathirism..
    One talked about intelectual when what is written doesn’t sample his intelectuality?
    The other couldn’t care less the effect of the nation what more faith of our next generations.
    I wonder what the parrots would say on a book that Mahathir made US billions of dollars during the financial crisis, the mystery of Altantuya murder and ofcourse the deletion of her entry records into this country to start with…
    I will need a massive space to jot down what has gone wrong.
    If u ask me?
    Well, I wish those ‘intelectual’ people get a wake-up call.

  12. #12 by lee tai king (previously dagen) on Thursday, 31 October 2013 - 10:14 am

    Oh wow look ppl, who is back!

    Cintanegara, of course.

    Lest we forget, he is the great propounder of Prinsip2 Ekonomi Pokok Rambutan.

    Anyway. Somehow his hero, jib the jibby jib, has failed completely to shine as a leader. I still believe this has something to do with his refusal to let jib have two of his rambutans.

    (pssssk. psssssk. psssssk)

    Huh? Oh. Errr sorry I did not mention anything on or regarding monsterO’mamak. I am quite mindful of that. He is just a load of rubbish. Not worth my time talking about him here.

  13. #13 by boh-liao on Thursday, 31 October 2013 - 3:02 pm

    Y d desire 2 push d 1/2 Indian 2 commit seppuku/harakiri 腹切り
    He only knows kanankiri

  14. #14 by waterfrontcoolie on Friday, 1 November 2013 - 10:50 pm

    Without the Mamak, cintanegara might not have even the rambutan trees to sit under nor count the number of rambutans. That is why, HE is still being whore-shipped by the like- minded. He claimed that he had achieved plenty under his great leader and yet after over 30 years of free flow of cash; he still could not bring up the very community he wanted to champion! Any leader worth his salt would have increase the target group by 400% if the growth rate was 7% annually! Indeed since 1970, it would have been more than 40 years; the factor should be 8 times or 800%. Cintanegara is more likely to be unable to grasp the figures as he is HAPPY with whatever figure he is given. Of course, he fears facts; yes the little dot started off in the early 80s with s$1.00 = DM1 = rm0.80 : today 1DM= 1 Euro = s$1.60 = rm$4.20! Yes that was how great your Master was and still is! Of course Cintanegara is a die hard so hard that whatever between the ears has frozen over!

  15. #15 by tak tahan on Friday, 1 November 2013 - 11:42 pm

    salah mulut badan binasa,salah pikir padan muka

  16. #16 by tak tahan on Friday, 1 November 2013 - 11:45 pm

    pandang je bontot saiful of sai..tai bikin kerja mahatai…lol

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