Will former prime  minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad apologize to the nation and acknowledge that instead of helping the Malays, he emasculated them and made them lose their competitive edge?

Like it or lump it, Mahathir does not do apologies.

On July 11, Mahathir acknowledged the past contributions of Chinese Malaysians to the Malaysian economy.

In his apparent gratitude, he hoped that they would use their business acumen to help the nation grow further.

As a birthday treat on July 11, he paid a visit to one of Kuala  Lumpur’s newest shopping complexes which he said was a “fantastic development” and grander than those in London, Tokyo or Seoul.

He appeared to admire the ability of Chinese Malaysians with their wealth of ideas.

Having praised the Chinese, he then criticized the Malays, and said, “The Malays cannot do it. They don’t have the money or the ideas. Their shops are the stalls on the roadside, ramshackle affairs, with blue plastic roofs.”

Mahathir once said, “Melayu mudah lupa” (Malays often forget). Did he forget that his affirmative action policies and Ketuanan Melayu concept robbed the Malays of their ability to perform and excel?

With ample handouts and the daily pounding of Biro Tata Negara (BTN), the Malays developed a false sense of superiority.

The brainwashing worked. Malays had an increased sense of entitlement. Instead of working hard and proving that they were as good as the non-Malays, Mahathir turned many Malays into weak and insecure Malaysians.

Before he admonishes Malays for lacking ideas or for not being financially savvy, he should blame himself for failing to help them.

He destroyed at least two generations of Malays.

Giving the Malays an unfair advantage to the detriment of the other races, many of whom were mired in poverty themselves, increased animosity between Malays and non-Malays.

Younger Malaysians are not fully aware of Mahathir’s  rule with an iron fist. He discouraged meritocracy and instead promoted political patronage.

Just think how different things could be today if Mahathir had adopted meritocracy.

We were weak and failed to force our politicians to act with integrity, become transparent in their dealings, and have principles.

We could have been as good as, or even outperform Singapore, with its lack of natural resources.

Mahathir claimed that he was most impressed with the power of Chinese Malaysians in dealing with economic matters. He also praised them for being adept at dealing with political matters.

The pitiful Mahathir is a sore loser and a bitter and spiteful old man. He has lost credibility and many Malaysians have lost any remaining respect they had for him.

Then came the put-downs when he said, “By all means make money in Malaysia. Build your super shopping towns. But do not deprive the Malays of their country and their history. Allow the Malays to have their share.”

Mahathir has got it all wrong, yet again.

Since when did the Chinese attempt to deprive the Malays of their country and history?

If truth be known, politicians from his former party Umno-Baru, with their narrow and biased view of history, allegedly doctored history books in Malaysian schools and airbrushed the pioneer Chinese from our shared early history of Malaya.

Mahathir also claimed that the Malays generally accept that Chinese Malaysians dominate the economy because they were “very good in business”.

He said, “In the past, the Malays dominated the political arena and the administration. So there was a balance. But now the Chinese are also politically powerful. And they intend to be even more powerful.

“If they dominate the political arena also, what is there left for the Malays? Is it wrong for the Malays to try to regain a little of their former political dominance?”

What is Mahathir referring to? Is he upset with the role of DAP in the unity government?

Most Malaysians are aware that the Chinese are forced to keep quiet about Malay religious and political dominance. Look at how Chinese politicians keep quiet about prime minister Anwar Ibrahim’s push into making his party look more Islamic than PAS or Bersatu.

Harapan supporters are reluctant to be too critical of Anwar’s pro-Islamic agenda because of the impending six state elections.

They are warned not to rock the boat if they want Harapan to continue ruling instead of the Green Wave taking over.

Mahathir said that Malaysia “has always been a Malay country” even with its multiracial population, and that the Malays here “made a concession to accommodate Chinese and Indians migrants” by granting them citizenship.

He added that in other countries, the immigrants who chose to settle there are “assimilated.”

Mahathir is wrong again. A good percentage of the Chinese established their roots in the then Malaya centuries ago. Many are 9th generation Malaysians. Early settlers came on monsoon trade winds, on the spice trade route.

Mahathir lost his Langkawi seat in GE15 last November. He claimed  that the Malays are under siege in their own country.

He also said that a multi-ethnic Malaysia is unconstitutional, and that the Federal Constitution is steeped in “Malayness.”

The pitiful Mahathir is a sore loser and a bitter and spiteful old man. He has lost credibility and many Malaysians have lost any remaining respect they had for him.

With increasing numbers of Malaysians rejecting him, his thoughts are that if he cannot have “ownership” of Malaysia, then he will do his best to destroy the remaining harmony that multicultural Malaysia is desperate to have.

Don’t allow Mahathir to divide us further.

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)