Mahathir, self-praise is no praise
YOURSAY ‘He didn’t need fancy jets. But he needed Twin Towers, Proton.’
Mahathir: I did not need big, fancy jets
Onyourtoes: Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad, I am not sympathetic at all with your ranting. Essentially it is all about fighting for control of the gravy train.
It is about wealth, influence, power and ego, nothing else. There is nothing on managing the economy, on sustaining the standard of living, on maintaining personal safety and security, on protecting the environment and on providing quality education, public amenities and infrastructure.
It is all about who get to control APs (approved permits), who get another ill-conceived privatisation deal, who get to manage one of those moronic GLCs (government-linked companies), who get to dish out government contracts, lands, forests and sand, who get to jet setting around and who are given licences and permits to operate another monopoly, another express bus, lorry and taxi fleet.
Jiminy Qrikert: Mahathir did not need big fancy jets. But he needed Putrajaya, Petronas Twin Towers, KL Towers, Proton. Jet planes siphon very little compared to these mega billion ringgit projects.
Anonymous #28709072: All these people are making us into suckers. They must be thinking we are stupid to vote them into office, or I should say they buy their way into office knowing we are fools.
No wonder our education level is so low that new graduates look like morons to them. Let us be united and do something so that we are treated like morons.
Their ploy is to create religious and racial issues to confuse us so that the rakyat do not become united.
Tenfold: This man can lie through his damn teeth. When he became the PM, the Challenger was the most sophisticated executive jet then. So he dumped the Boeing and bought the Challenger.
And during his time he created crony multi-billionaires, who bought aircrafts for his use, as and when required. This man has no iota of shame.
Broken Foot: The 'inherited' B737-200 (9M-MBK) that Mahathir was talking about was delivered in Malaysia Airlines (then known as Malaysia Airlines System) colours on Dec 18, 1981.
By that time, his predecessor had already left office - some six months earlier. It is impossible that Hussein Onn flew in it. The aircraft finally left MAS fleet in Aug 18, 1993.
It is typical of Dr M to cherry pick some facts to make him look good.
Swipenter: Mahathir is much more cunning and much more less ostentatious in his lifestyle that nobody noticed his quiet accumulation of wealth over his 22 years in office even though he was known as ‘Mr 10 percent’ at one time.
Even today he nor his sons flaunt their wealth for all to see unlike Najib, FLOM (First Lady of Malaysia) and their offsprings.
Anticonmen: Why the need for a personal jet plane when there is a national airline that is losing millions every year?
Why should an elected representative be given a jet plane when the rakyat do not benefit anything from his travels and jet-setting?
Omega: Whatever it is, ordinary folks like myself is very worried that the elites and the business sector have contracted some kind of irrational compulsion to indulge and make even more money.
A retired businessman once told me that this compulsion is like, say you have had a heavy afternoon tea at 4pm but when it comes to dinner at 7pm, you will automatically want to eat more, regardless of whether you are hungry or not or whether you enjoy the dinner or not.
1Malaysia2Agama: The empire strikes back. Mahathir’s comments are classic sarcasm. Now that his son, Mukhriz, has lost the Umno vice-president’s race and the Kedah by-election, Dr M is on the war path.
Hell hath no fury than a Mahathir scorned.
MockingYou: He is being the same old sarcastic self on this one: "Well of course now, the government is much richer than during my time, then maybe they should upgrade.”
Thanks to your ‘M’ega projects and Pak Lah's boo-boo, Najib is in no position to play Santa Claus yet he persisted, resulting in aggravating our finances.
Even a layman could tell the reason behind subsidies cuts, toll hikes and GST (Goods and Services Tax).
Anonymous_3e86: Yes, we are richer now. And we were richer then, but all that money spent on these aircrafts, failed mega projects, inflated contracts to cronies and massive corruption took its toll on the country's kitty.
No wonder, the BN government is resorting to removing subsidies, adding GST and increasing electricity tariffs. Malaysia is now the second ‘Greece’.
Mushiro: Even at this late age, Mahathir still does not understand that a man should not praise his own self. Praises should be heaped by someone else and then only it has value.
It will be more meaningful if Mahathir admitted to many of his excesses, especially when the whole world is aware of it.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .
YOURSAY ‘He didn’t need fancy jets. But he needed Twin Towers, Proton.’
Mahathir: I did not need big, fancy jets
Onyourtoes: Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad, I am not sympathetic at all with your ranting. Essentially it is all about fighting for control of the gravy train.
It is about wealth, influence, power and ego, nothing else. There is nothing on managing the economy, on sustaining the standard of living, on maintaining personal safety and security, on protecting the environment and on providing quality education, public amenities and infrastructure.
It is all about who get to control APs (approved permits), who get another ill-conceived privatisation deal, who get to manage one of those moronic GLCs (government-linked companies), who get to dish out government contracts, lands, forests and sand, who get to jet setting around and who are given licences and permits to operate another monopoly, another express bus, lorry and taxi fleet.
Jiminy Qrikert: Mahathir did not need big fancy jets. But he needed Putrajaya, Petronas Twin Towers, KL Towers, Proton. Jet planes siphon very little compared to these mega billion ringgit projects.
Anonymous #28709072: All these people are making us into suckers. They must be thinking we are stupid to vote them into office, or I should say they buy their way into office knowing we are fools.
No wonder our education level is so low that new graduates look like morons to them. Let us be united and do something so that we are treated like morons.
Their ploy is to create religious and racial issues to confuse us so that the rakyat do not become united.
Tenfold: This man can lie through his damn teeth. When he became the PM, the Challenger was the most sophisticated executive jet then. So he dumped the Boeing and bought the Challenger.
And during his time he created crony multi-billionaires, who bought aircrafts for his use, as and when required. This man has no iota of shame.
Broken Foot: The 'inherited' B737-200 (9M-MBK) that Mahathir was talking about was delivered in Malaysia Airlines (then known as Malaysia Airlines System) colours on Dec 18, 1981.
By that time, his predecessor had already left office - some six months earlier. It is impossible that Hussein Onn flew in it. The aircraft finally left MAS fleet in Aug 18, 1993.
It is typical of Dr M to cherry pick some facts to make him look good.
Swipenter: Mahathir is much more cunning and much more less ostentatious in his lifestyle that nobody noticed his quiet accumulation of wealth over his 22 years in office even though he was known as ‘Mr 10 percent’ at one time.
Even today he nor his sons flaunt their wealth for all to see unlike Najib, FLOM (First Lady of Malaysia) and their offsprings.
Anticonmen: Why the need for a personal jet plane when there is a national airline that is losing millions every year?
Why should an elected representative be given a jet plane when the rakyat do not benefit anything from his travels and jet-setting?
Omega: Whatever it is, ordinary folks like myself is very worried that the elites and the business sector have contracted some kind of irrational compulsion to indulge and make even more money.
A retired businessman once told me that this compulsion is like, say you have had a heavy afternoon tea at 4pm but when it comes to dinner at 7pm, you will automatically want to eat more, regardless of whether you are hungry or not or whether you enjoy the dinner or not.
1Malaysia2Agama: The empire strikes back. Mahathir’s comments are classic sarcasm. Now that his son, Mukhriz, has lost the Umno vice-president’s race and the Kedah by-election, Dr M is on the war path.
Hell hath no fury than a Mahathir scorned.
MockingYou: He is being the same old sarcastic self on this one: "Well of course now, the government is much richer than during my time, then maybe they should upgrade.”
Thanks to your ‘M’ega projects and Pak Lah's boo-boo, Najib is in no position to play Santa Claus yet he persisted, resulting in aggravating our finances.
Even a layman could tell the reason behind subsidies cuts, toll hikes and GST (Goods and Services Tax).
Anonymous_3e86: Yes, we are richer now. And we were richer then, but all that money spent on these aircrafts, failed mega projects, inflated contracts to cronies and massive corruption took its toll on the country's kitty.
No wonder, the BN government is resorting to removing subsidies, adding GST and increasing electricity tariffs. Malaysia is now the second ‘Greece’.
Mushiro: Even at this late age, Mahathir still does not understand that a man should not praise his own self. Praises should be heaped by someone else and then only it has value.
It will be more meaningful if Mahathir admitted to many of his excesses, especially when the whole world is aware of it.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .
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