Should Mahathir hold his peace?
The Edge – 26 December 2005

I've said before that I will be even more irresponsible after I step down from being the Prime Minister. But, of course, not being the Prime Minister, probably people won't take notice of what I say. So I'll be more free to say nasty things, thank you. — Then Prime Minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Oct 23, 2003, a week before retirement. After the 31st [of October], I have no right to decide on anything. I will step back and will not interfere with the administration of our country. — Mahathir, Oct 27, 2003, four days after the first quote and four days before his retirement. 

One thing for sure, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not going away quietly. His piquant comments have earned him regular publicity, which he seems to relish — he continues to make provocative remarks on a wide range of topics. 

If people had wanted him to just fade away after his retirement on Oct 31, 2003, they must be disappointed because he has not. So much so he may even be a thorn in the side of the current administration. But did he break his commitment not to interfere with the administration of the country? Is there an inherent contradiction in the two statements he made just days apart and days before his retirement? That depends on one's point of view. But let's first be clear about one thing: We are NOT questioning his right to express his opinions about public policy and his views when it involves positions that he holds. And we are not trying to shut him up — really we couldn't even if we wanted to. 
What we are trying to examine is whether what he says and does, especially what he says, is in contradiction to his pledge not to interfere with the administration of the country after he steps down, and his role as a former prime minister and leader. 

Mahathir has always enjoyed and thrived on controversy, mastering the art of attracting attention to himself by saying the wrong things at the right time, the right things at the wrong time and by deftly concentrating attention on where he wants it to be. 

Thus it was that days before his retirement, he accused the Jews of controlling the world by proxy. This attracted a storm of protest (and publicity) across the world which led to the first statement he made above. He has kept that promise. Among the more notable remarks and incidents that have attracted attention since his retirement, in no particular order, are: 
•	A running feud culminating in an embrace and tears with International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz over the issue of approved permits (APs — permits to import cars) which have been abused over the years. Mahathir kept up the pressure on Rafidah for months via a series of press conferences demanding a release of the lists and claiming APs affected national car company Proton's viability. Truth of the matter is that APs and their abuse continued right through the Mahathir administration of 22 years; 
•	He made known that he was opposed to foreign equity and management control of Proton, in which he is adviser, and expressed support to its then CEO who was known to have major differences with the board. In the kind of twist that he is famous for — a statement which is both provocative and absurd — he asked whether the country would like to have a foreign prime minister too; 
•	He said he was baffled by Proton's latest quarterly losses, asking whether it was only due to the purchase of Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta — a deal he supported — and implying that there could be other reasons for the losses; 
•	He made a strong statement against corruption and when a columnist (not this one) pointed out he could have done more during his time, he called a press conference to say that he had done a lot to curb corruption. Was he implying that the current administration was not?; 
•	He lashed out against Australia's participation in the inaugural East Asia summit meeting held under the auspices of Asean in Kuala Lumpur this year. Was he undermining the current administration's efforts to get Australia to participate?; 
•	He questioned openly whether Asean's urging of Myanmar to be more democratic is against Asean's pledge not to interfere in the internal affairs of another country. That seems like a criticism against current prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who was part of the process; 
•	He said that Malaysia should not hold back on mega development projects in its quest to attain global leadership status. The current government has put on hold a number of mega projects initiated during his time such as the RM14 billion double-tracking project; and 
•	He called for the people to stick their necks out and speak up when they saw something wrong being done. He attributed the unwillingness to speak to Barisan Nasional's 90% stranglehold in Parliament. It earned backhanded praise from a surprising quarter, a Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader, who, however, expressed regret that Mahathir did not make this call during his tenure. 

There is more. Clearly, some of these incidents show that he is at odds with the current administration over at least some major policy issues. Proton is a clear example, mega projects are another. In the shadow play that is Malay politics, only Mahathir will know whether there is a hidden agenda behind all this to undermine his successor and to show that he, Mahathir, is still a force to contend with. 

Considering the person he was, and the power, influence and respect he still commands, Mahathir must surely be circumspect about the things he says to ensure that he lets the current administration do its job the way it sees fit — unless, of course, he does not want to. That would basically rubbish his pledge. 

Source: The Edge | www.theedgedaily.com