Former prime minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s latest diatribe against the Indian community has revealed a bitter, ungrateful old man.
Mahathir’s revulsion of the Indians was recorded in an exclusive online interview with the Indian satellite TV channel, Thanthi TV.
To the disgust of many Malaysians, he questioned the loyalty of Indian Malaysians.
Why is Mahathir denying the contribution of the Indians and how dare he question their loyalty to the nation?
Malaysia, the former Malaya, was built on the blood, sweat and toil of non-Malays, too. The story of modern day Malaysia is the story of all ethnic groups.
We would not have become a successful economy and vibrant multiracial country without the contribution of the various races.
Indian labourers worked our rubber estates, and Tamils constructed roads and railways in difficult terrains through dense virgin jungles.
The Chinese excelled in tin mining and trading, the Ceylon Tamils with their excellent command of English and skills in accounting and mathematics, aided the administration of the lower ranks of the then colonial civil service.
Mahathir ruled for 22 years during his first tenure as PM, and left behind a divided and scarred nation.
We may have lived peacefully beside one another despite the differences in race, culture and religion, but we are no longer tolerant of our neighbours.
We treat one another with suspicion. Children are not encouraged to interact, and Muslim parents often tell their offspring off for befriending non-Malay children.
In schools, it is shocking that some Malay teachers discourage acts of unity and seek to prevent Malays from fraternising with “kafirs.”
From time to time, Mahathir takes pot shots at both the Indian and Chinese communities, and like last week, questioned their patriotism.
If only he would do the same, and question the loyalty of the high-profile and corrupt political Malay elite who have betrayed the nation by stealing billions of ringgits of taxpayers’ money.
So how do we unlearn all that Mahathir has dictated to generations of Malaysians?
First of all, we must acknowledge that there is a problem and then we must unlearn what he has instilled into us and cemented into national policy.
In other words, we must be able to identify the policies which have caused most harm to Malaysia, like discrimination against non-Malays and the inability of non-Muslims to fully practice their religions without being criticised and questioned by fanatical Muslims.
Affirmative action policies like the New Economic Policy (NEP) drove a wedge into society, but ironically Mahathir allowed himself to hold court over rich non-Malay industrialists to further his personal aims.
Rebuilding Malaysia is not just about forgetting what we know and ignoring what Mahathir taught us. It must be a conscious effort to refrain from the bad habits, old beliefs and assumptions that we were brought up with.
We will have to make radical changes to how we view the other races including getting rid of those politicians and civil servants who discriminate against the non-Malays.
The process of deliberately unlearning is not easy and will not be a magical transformation.
Naturally, the die-hard nationalists and extremists will stand their ground and refuse to compromise.
This is where the current PM Anwar Ibrahim and his cabinet in the Unity Government can start a new narrative by acknowledging the achievements, and encouraging the potential of non-Malays, which will ultimately benefit all Malaysians.
Mahathir’s policies were to help his party and himself, never the rakyat.
Will the majority of Malays accept that Mahathir’s main lesson was to keep the Malays ignorant and dependent on government handouts?
As the Malays are the power base of the party he once led, Umno, it is understandable that a thinking Malay is a dangerous Malay.
Moreover, an independent Malay able to stand on his own feet will not need the government.
Mahathir’s second lesson was to divide and rule.
We complain about our former colonial masters using the “divide and rule” principle to govern us, but what is Umno if not the modern-day coloniser?
As education minister between 1974 and 1978, English-medium schools became Malay-medium, and speaking English was discouraged.
Many Malays allegedly believed that the cross on the walls of mission schools would convert Muslims to Christians, and the same would happen to the Malays who sang Christmas carols.
Today, learning English is seen by some Malays as being unpatriotic.
Why would being fluent in English sever our cultural roots or the importance of the national language?
He could not decide if certain subjects should be taught in Malay, or English. He wasted time with the education of our young. Schoolchildren, teachers and parents were bewildered by the flip-flopping.
Religion was used to control our behaviour and in today’s Malaysia, we are fearful of Christmas cakes, Christmas greetings, the cross, dogs and visiting houses of people of other faiths.
Why did successive PMs not try to undo Mahathir’s divisive rule?
In fact, these PMs merely perfected Mahathir’s technique for their own selfish agenda. It was all about power.
Under Mahathir, grandiose projects funded by taxpayers gave cronies ample opportunity to charge unlimited commissions besides creating a fitting monument to remind future generations of his tenure.
Mahathir’s policies were to help his party and himself, never the rakyat.
Trying to undo Mahathir’s teaching to rebuild Malaysia is possible, but it will not happen overnight.
Source:
(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)
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