Do we seriously think at his age and with his stature, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has a personal and hidden agenda when he speaks up? Do we seriously think he is afraid to go to jail as some would say? Do we seriously think he is promoting his children to be the next prime minister of Malaysia? Do we seriously think he cares two hoots of his legacy and the interests of his cronies at this juncture of his life?

I think we Malaysians have become too disillusioned with our government leaders, both past and present. Hence, any criticism, no matter from whom and in whatever the context, would be treated with sarcasm and cynicism.  Worse still, we would treat those criticisms as ‘political’ in nature. It is all part of the political game so to speak, read nothing more to it.

I think many of us are wrong. It is time to put politics and personality aside. We must go for issues, otherwise this country would indeed be in very precarious position. I write for selfish reason - I want the good living of this country preserved for all of us. I want the less fortunate and the poorer of our countrymen to be given the opportunity to progress with the rest of us. I want the government to do more and waste less. These are not too much to ask.

Has it ever occurred to us that Malaysia now needs a 90-year-old person to speak on its behalf despite our so-called ‘democratic tradition’ since independence? The opposition has spoken, but it has minimal effect thus far. In fact, 51 percent of Malaysians have spoken, too, but it has fallen on deaf ears. What more with many issues now deemed seditious and therefore out of bounds today.

We are in a situation where any additional resource is a plus. Indeed, we must be thankful Dr Mahathir is still able to highlight many pertinent issues which many of us could only mumble among ourselves for fear of  being harassed.  

Mahathir has the stature to speak on institutions and issues that are deemed sacred and beyond criticism. So be thankful, whatever our personal feelings for or against Mahathir.