Oh how I long for those times when we know who was running the country. There was no question about who were making the decisions – and once those decisions were made – his will was carried out. That man was Mahathir.
What would the Old Man do if he was round now? Do you think any MB would have the guts to try and keep power if the old man wanted them to go? Not for him going after Speakers of the State Assembly – no Sir – he went against the mother of all things in Malaysia - Royalty. He put them in their place. Anwar ? He gave Anwar a chance to step down and withdrew with grace – when Anwar said “No” and threw the book at the Old Man – the Old Man went all the way and Anwar ended up by spending time in jail. Remember Operation Lalang? Cross the Old man’s path and you die standing.
Yes these were draconian ways of doing things but is it not better then what we are seeing happening today? An UMNO paralysed and its leader unable to think further then the tip of their nose – fighting for personal survival and glory and nothing else matters – not the Rakyat, not the country, nothing but their survival at all costs.
I am no supporter of Mahathir’s policies but I admire the way the Old Man ruled the country – with an iron fist – because as you can see what idiots we have as politicians, all of them without fail, do not have the maturity to be allowed to run free - they need a strong and powerful leader who will give them a smack on their head should they even think of going out of line.
Say what you want about the Old Man but do you all not remember when he insisted on having his heart problems treated in Malaysia? He was the driving force that brought in Proton, KLCC, KLIA, Putrajaya, the North South Highway…and I could go on and on…and of course you can argue at what cost? Yes these things came at a costs – the culture of “kebendaan or materialism” came into UMNO and the Malays – and whether these costs are worth the burden the Malays have to shoulder is still to be debated and agreed upon. But speaking for myself, I was proud of being a Malaysian because we had many things to be proud – and the Old Man gave us that pride...and the most important thing of all...his heart was in the right place. He did his best for the country and he worked himself twenty four hours a day for our country no matter where he was.
You also have to admire how the Old Man brought up his children and made sure that none of them even come close to the excesses of KJ and what the Family of Pak Lah has done since Pak Lah came into power.
Yes there will be many amongst you that say that what Malaysia is now undergoing is a change that Malaysia had to have in its progress towards a renewal of purpose. I beg to differ because we do not want change at any costs. Until we have responsible politicians – not the idiots we have now – then I say bring on back the Old Man.. He is smart enough to know what the people wants and given his past, he will deliver a Malaysia that the Rakyat needs in these changing times.
I agree with you here, despite the fact that Mahathir is so reviled by most, even those within umno. No matter the manner - he did rule with an iron hand - we were able to hold our heads up proudly during his 22-year reign.
ReplyDeleteAnd reign he did.
But now? I don't know if he could handle the Malaysia of today. His old tactics won't work today - because we seem to have found our voice, and by extension, our 'balls' - and we dare do today, what we'd never have dreamed of doing during his time.
This very blog wouldn't exist, for example. He brooked no disagreement!
True...just wish there was somebody with his work ethics, his dedication and his commitment.
ReplyDelete