On March 1, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad came out with o­ne of his periodic dumb, but perhaps not-so-dumb-and-innocent ideas: that the administrative centre of Kedah should be moved from Alor Star to Langkawi.

Dumb by virtue of the fact that Alor Star is an established and proven state capital of convenience and some efficiency to the more than 1.5 million people in Kedah o­n the mainland. Dumb also because a move to Langkawi would unnecessarily entail billions of ringgit.

But to some people whose hearts must have been warmed by Mahathir's suggestion, it was not so dumb and innocent. To the few who have property, real estate and other investments in Langkawi, the proposal carried the prospects of a financial bonanza.

However, before the Ides of March, Mahathir's proposal made a U-turn with some help from Kedah Mentri Besar Kedah Syed Razak Syed Zain.

'Made in jest

'

On March 9, Syed Razak was kind enough to tell o­ne and all that Mahathir had told him before going abroad that his suggestion for Langkawi had been made in jest.

How nice; how interesting. Mahathir had four or five days to clarify the matter publicly. Why didn't he do it himself? Why o­nly convey it through Syed Razak?

After all, the matter was of public importance to more than 1.5 million people at least, if we are to assume that Malaysians in other states might not have been as concerned about Mahathir's jesting.

And why did Syed Razak take another four days or so to tell the public of Mahathir's U-turn?

Was it because the people of Kedah in particular and Malaysians in general were not o­nly surprised but confused and confounded by Mahathir's silly proposal, which was made spontaneously as if state officials were so many dumbbells unworthy of prior consultation, or as if Kedah and Langkawi are Mahathir's personal fiefdom?

Why the U-turn?

The pertinent question is: why the U-turn? There is no doubt that Mahathir's proposal had surprised many people. Even Awang Selamt in his 'Bisik-Bisik' column in the sycophantic Utusan Malaysia had voiced surprise.

Sadly, Awang had no courage to ask the right questions and make the necessary criticism. He was o­nly prepared to beat around the bush about a so-called hidden meaning to Mahathir's suggestion.

It is all very likely that the people in the kampung , towns, marketplaces, warong and coffee shops were more than surprised by Mahathir's suggestion.

It is likely they were shocked by the vulgar audacity of it all, by its complete absurdity and by what smelled like yet another mega prestige project to benefit the few at the expense of many.

It must have been the unfavourable feedback of public disbelief, disappointment and perhaps even anger and ridicule which contributed to the U-turn.

Crazily serious

This is not because the people thought the prime minister was jesting, but precisely because they thought he was crazily serious about the whole idea regardless of the cost and utter inconvenience to the people.

Anybody with a reasonable frame of mind and a fair amount of sanity who has read Mahathir's proposal in the newspapers would not have suspected that he was merely jesting.

He had lined up his best arguments developed facilities, international airport and what not to support his suggestions.

You can't be just kidding when you've marshaled your facts and figures and arguments. Or was it a case of the prime minister in his old age tripping into half-witted remarks?

FAN YEW TENG was a former opposition politician and DAP member of parliament.