Mahathir’s Nightmare, not Chinese Dilemma

July 28, 2013

http://www.malaysiakini.com

Let’s hope Dr.Mahathir gets your message. He is not winning friends for UMNO by bashing the Chinese. Obviously he does not care as long as there are enough UMNO Malays who support his right wing views. It is real tragedy that Najib and his colleagues are unwilling to cross swords with Dr Mahathir. In stead, they have allowed ordinary citizens to deal with him via the social media. –Din Merican

Dr Mahathir: He needs Help

‘If truth be told, this isn’t a Chinese dilemma but a Mahathir nightmare. He hopes to exorcise his own demons by lashing out at the Chinese.

‘Mahathir: Do Chinese want to share or seize power?

Mahathir: Do Chinese want to share or seize power?

http://www.malaysiakini.com

3:17PM Jul 27, 2013

It has now become a “Chinese dilemma”, says former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who asked whether Chinese Malaysians want to share political power with the other races or want to seize it altogether.

“For more than half a century of independence, the Chinese have shared wealth and power with the Malays. The idea for a Singapore-like Malaysia seems tempting and Penang has shown the way.

“The dilemma for the Chinese is whether to make a grab for political power while dominating economic power or to adhere to the principle of sharing, which has made this country what it is today.

“This is the Chinese dilemma,” Mahathir says in a column in the New Straits Times today. He said the Chinese buying into DAP’s aspiration to make “a Singapore out of Malaysia”, with Chinese wielding both economic and political power, has significantly weakened MCA, the Chinese partner in the ruling coalition, and made power-sharing untenable.

‘MCA now a shadow of its former self’

“Battered, accused of being lackeys of UMNO, MCA has gradually lost the support of the Chinese. It is now but a shadow of its former self.

“And with its weakening, the idea of sharing with the Malays political and economic power has become insupportable,” opines Mahathir, who authored the book The Malay Dilemma. He claimed that the Chinese community was already dominating the economy, from various business interests to their own colleges and universities.

“Whatever, the ‘kongsi’ (sharing) government has benefited Malaysia greatly. It has brought peace and stability, without which economic growth and development would not be possible.It is unthinkable for any race, Chinese or Malay, to take everything for themselves, to dominate the economy as well as the politics of Malaysia,” he says.

YOUR SAY

Bravemalaysian: This pseudo-Malay has robbed the Malays of everything, including their self-dignity. He has sabotaged the royalty, enriched his family and cronies illegally.

He committed the highest form of treason by giving out citizenship for votes, thereby sabotaging the security of the country in general and the welfare of Malays in particular.

He wants the rural Malays in poverty and total ignorance so that they can be manipulated to serve his and UMNO’s selfish ambitions. The Chinese are the convenient bogeyman he uses to scare the rural Malays.

Let me assure the Malays that the Chinese voted Pakatan Rakyat not because they are greedy for power, but because they are just sick and tired of all the corruption, incompetence and racism committed by the government.

We know this country will be ruined beyond repair by this government. No Chinese will even remotely hope to be a PM of Malaysia because we are a pragmatic people. Indeed, we have overwhelmingly supported Anwar Ibrahim to be PM.

Lawfool: Let me answer you, Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Chinese do not want to grab political power. Chinese just want a just and fair Malaysian government, even if it is entirely administered by Malay Malaysians.

Ex-wfw: Does this mean that when Mahathir talks of sharing power with Malays, only UMNO qualifies? Anwar Ibrahim, Abdul Hadi Awang, Rafizi Ramli, Khalid Samad, Mohamad Sabu and Nurul Izzah, are they are not Malay by his definition?

FellowMalaysian: Mahathir is telling us that UMNO is Malay and MCA is Chinese when he said that the idea of sharing political and economic power between the Malays and Chinese has become unsupportable when the Chinese ditched MCA.

For Mahathir, only the BN coalition is interested in sharing wealth among the races. The majority of the people – in fact 51 percent of them – have voted for Pakatan Rakyat and not just the Chinese. That will make most of us power-crazy individuals refusing to share wealth or power with other races.

Making wild accusations of DAP wishing to turn Malaysia into Singapore and spreading old canards will not redeem nor restore Mahathir’s image among the Chinese.

If Chinese votes matter at all to UMNO-BN, Mahathir should contribute positively to nation-building by making an effort to win back the Chinese instead of sowing fear, discontent and enmity among the races.

Ipohcrite: This is vintage Mahathir, spouting out his half-past six theories to the UMNO sycophants. If truth be told, this isn’t a Chinese dilemma but a Mahathir nightmare. This pathetic ex-PM hopes to exorcise his own demons by lashing out at the Chinese.

Cala: As usual, Mahathir’s arguments are obtuse. Only the last paragraph makes sense. As for the rest, Mahathir seems to indulge in illogical, senseless and warped reasoning. Here are five of them:

First, NEP (New Economic Policy) achieved its stated goals of eradication of ethnicity with economic function and ethnicity with location. A noble policy no doubt, but over time, the ruling government  has deviated from the stated goals fo NEP.

Second, the Chinese deserted MCA because it cannot restrain ‘taiko’ (big brother) UMNO as the latter turned more aggressive and abandoned “the consociational democracy”. It is ‘taiko’ UMNO that weakened MCA.

Third, had UMNO been more considerate in treating MCA and be more responsible in governance, DAP-Pakatan Rakyat would have been less attractive to the Chinese.

Fourth, to allege that we are facing a “Chinese dilemma” is neither just nor fair. It is more like a “Malaysian dilemma”.

Fifth, how can Mahathir brand DAP as ambitious when DAP contested only 33 percent of the total seats under Pakatan banner?

Ksn: For a man who was the PM for 23 years, his remarks about the Chinese dominating the economy is out of this world.Let us see. The civil service is entirely Malay; almost all the banks are under Malay control, Petronas and all the big corporations belong to the Malays. Most of the big plantations like Sime Darby, Guthrie and Felda are in Malay hands. In fact, it is the Malays who are controlling the economy and the politics in all aspects.

What he said about one race controlling the economy and politics actually refers to the Malays, not the Chinese.

Jude Allen: We all think that Mahathir has retired. No, he has not. He is still very much in control of the political situation in Malaysia. All other Prime Ministers, when they leave office, they leave matters to the future PMs. But this man, no. God save Malaysia.

Dzulkefly Ahmad: Mahathir is definitely going senile. Chinese grabbing political power is a non-issue. It’s a ruse by UMNO and Perkasa to scare the Malays into thinking they are losing everything. The Chinese are angry because UMNO and BN don’t know how to manage the country.

Unspin: The predicaments of the Chinese are:

1) Forty years after being forced to share the economic cake with the UMNO Malays via the NEP, they are still being blamed for the plight of UMNO Malays who cannot hold on to their portion of the economic cake.

2) Although most of them were born in this country and pay the most in taxes, they are treated as second-class citizens and do not even have the same privileges as instant citizens from Indonesia, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

3) Even though they had good academic results, they were denied places in public universities and were forced to pay more indirect taxes to further their education in private colleges.

4) After practicing their religious beliefs quietly for decades, they were provoked to respond to religious bigotry from UMNO hardliners and are now accused for being anti-Islam.

5) After being conveniently forgotten for saving the skin of one ultra-racist leader in the 1999 election, they are being blamed for causing a tsunami in the 2013 election just because they supported the opposition.

So the real Chinese dilemma is:

a) Do you continue to support a “proven” coalition who has taken you for granted and used you as a scapegoat for political convenience, or

b) Support an “unproven” coalition that has the potential to reduce corruption, cronyism and crime, and create a better future for your children and grandchildren?

Akutuan: Mahathir, you have been in power because Chinese voted for you, including me. Why do you hate them so much?

During this holy month, you should repent and try to get more ‘pahala’ before your time is up. Remember, Allah is great and we Buddhists believe in karma.

It’s never too late for Dr M to see a psychologist- More Views on Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad