COMMENT | Mahathir makes himself matter
COMMENT | Two books from members of the same family came out within a month of each other. One is a daughter’s homage to her father (portrayed as the saviour of the nation) - titled The Apple and the Tree.
In the book, she claims daddy dearest was backstabbed by all those he trusted, thereby leading the government he was the head of to collapse after 22 months.
The second book, “Capturing Hope”, was written by the said father, who admits that he set the plans in motion that lead to the collapse of the government that he was the head of.
It is almost as though neither one of them shared notes or facts before their respective books got published.
As excerpts of both books appeared on various media, the comments sections lit up. Of course, Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s “Capturing Hope” eclipsed Marina Mahathir’s “The Apple and The Tree”.
No one puts Mahathir in a corner, not if they know what is good for them....
COMMENT | Two books from members of the same family came out within a month of each other. One is a daughter’s homage to her father (portrayed as the saviour of the nation) - titled The Apple and the Tree.
In the book, she claims daddy dearest was backstabbed by all those he trusted, thereby leading the government he was the head of to collapse after 22 months.
The second book, “Capturing Hope”, was written by the said father, who admits that he set the plans in motion that lead to the collapse of the government that he was the head of.
It is almost as though neither one of them shared notes or facts before their respective books got published.
As excerpts of both books appeared on various media, the comments sections lit up. Of course, Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s “Capturing Hope” eclipsed Marina Mahathir’s “The Apple and The Tree”.
No one puts Mahathir in a corner, not if they know what is good for them.
The bigger you are, the harder you fall, they say. In Mahathir’s case, he has yet to fall. And to him, the aftermath of the Sheraton Move was a minor setback. The man keeps bouncing back, much to the chagrin of his foes.
In his prime, no one was bigger than Mahathir, Malaysia’s fourth and seventh prime minister.
This man is responsible for many things, not all of them great. Some of the damage he inflicted still echoes to this very day. Ask his former deputies.
His diehard fans believe in him in ways most of us may never be able to understand. I still remember when prices of essential goods started going up during former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s administration, a local stall owner told me and my colleagues: “Mahathir would never have let this happen!”
'Mahathir is the best prime minister...'
A taxi driver who I was chatting with during a ride back from KLIA to Seremban said that he doesn’t care what anybody says, for Mahathir is the best prime minister we ever had. “I will fight with anyone who says that Mahathir was not good!”
The man, the myth, the legend. Mahathir knew how to play the game and he played it well.
Even landing in the hospital (more than once, mind you) to get treatment for his heart condition only served to elevate the man to legendary status.
While we hear of many young people dropping dead due to heart disease, Mahathir, who is now 96, seems to keep going on and on and on. He seems to have outlasted even the Energizer Bunny. His ticker may have gone a little wonky a few times, but he keeps coming back.
He was admitted to IJN on Dec 16 for a full medical checkup and observations. On Dec 21 Mahathir issued a press statement, from his hospital bed, about the devastating floods that hit the country. He did it like a boss because, in his mind, he still was.
Each time he goes in and out of the hospital, Mahathir simply consolidates the image that he is invincible.
If you are a history buff you might recall that each time there was a failed assassination attempt of Adolf Hitler or Fidel Castro, it only consolidated their leadership and in the eyes of their followers. To them, this was divine proof that these men were chosen to lead them.
Just to be clear, I am not comparing Mahathir to Hitler or Castro. Just saying how putting a positive spin on a near miss can do wonders for your profile.
In Mahathir’s case, at his age, he can still get his fans in a tizzy, he can still get his detractors’ knickers in a twist and most of all, he knows how to stay in the news.
He got people he tossed in jail to form a political alliance with him. He is the master of the game. People like him don’t get backstabbed.
The recent floods that hit the country on Dec 18 is a good example of how he is very much in the game.
He did not wade in the floods, he did not sit in a car and be driven to locations to observe how people are suffering. Nope, he sat up in his hospital, issued a statement and his fans went “Hell, yeah!”
That is Mahathir for you. He has been writing his own destiny and no matter how much damage he does and continues to do, he has proven himself to be invincible. To his fans he is wonderful. To his detractors, that is damn scary.
Most media companies already have his eulogy ready for when the time comes and they have been updating it constantly. I am sure they cleaned it up on Dec 16. But Dr M has his own plans.
Tell him to go to hell all you like. Even the Devil seems to be scared of this one.
INDRA SATHIABALAN is a veteran journalist.
