Let's support the repenting Mahathir to oust Najib

Different nation has different definitions of Nation Building. Nation building is not just physical development with the highest twin-towers in the entire world or the tallest flag post like the one we used to see in Dataran Merdeka OR just having the biggest Gong that we had in the premise of Angkasapuri. Those are just a very fractious proponent of nation building. Our country has different ultimate in nation building. Our ultimate was National Unity.

As a multiracial country the highest testimonial of successful nation building is when Malaysians of all races and religion with respective religious practices and way of life live in harmony with peace and security. If any race especially the bigger majority was not equitably participated in economic goings-on in the country for example, the indisputable consequence would be instability.

If we were to reminisce the policies formulated by our forefathers like The Tunku, Razak and Hussein the ultimate for nation building was National Unity and we ought to remember that we had only one national slogan, that was Muhibbah. That was why we had the new economic policy and that policy was attested to only one ultimate, which was National Unity.

Bear in mind that the new economic policy for instance was not the ultimate. NEP was just the process to achieve the National Unity. Everyone, the lawmakers and the civil servants alike were dead serious to see the policies that were formulated for this ultimate was implemented successfully. AND above all these policies formulated by the government were well accepted by Malaysians of all races. The Chinese especially were more than happy to accept the policy as they know that unstable Malaysia will costs the business and life dearly.

The policy believes that identifying a race through their economic functions had got to be done with. The Indians did not want them to be seen as just laborers in the estates and the Malays wanted them not to be identified as small holders or just government servants who were oblivious of the modern culture of trade and commerce.

The harmonious culture was seen developing very well and we saw that many big public (listed) companies were having executive training programs popularly known as management trainee program to help the government policy in preparing the Bumiputras for management functions in the commerce and industry.  

The policy went smoothly implemented and the Bumiputra equity rose to 18.4 percent in 1984 from meager 2.7 percent in 1970.

However the marginal increase in the Bumiputra wealth ownership was only at 19.2 percent meaning since 1984 there was only less than a percent marginal increase.

What was the reason for the ‘too little marginal increase’? The reason was obvious. His management did not focus on achieving the goal of the new economic policy with its ultimate i.e the national unity. He did not mark the year of the 1990 as the final year for the NEP to mature. That was the time when the department of Bumiputra participation in most departments and Ministries were dissolved.

The setting in of the new Bumiputra economic hulks was the ones who hampered the achievements of the Bumiputra partipation policy.  The rent seeking Bumiputra economic goliaths were in control of all the economic allocations of the Bumiputra. Dr Mahathirs believes in creating a few billionaires at the expense of many bumiputra to become millionaires. Mahathir didn’t focus on distribution of opportunities as he was engrossed in mega projects via direct negotiations where rent seekers were inflating costs of projects and by 100 to 200 percent and that was when corruption in mega scale set in and become the business culture of the elites within the corridor of power.

In the meantime the Malays were hammered by Mahathir as having dol mentality and the special privileged for the Malays should be done with and the ‘tongkat’ for the Malays should be thrown out forever. Prof Ungku Aziz came back with a response and he said, “kalau tidak mahukan tongkat itu, disimpan sahaja, jangan dibuang, mungkin satu hari nanti tongkat itu akan kembali berguna."

In short, Umno that was led by Mahathir was the one to change from the attribute of nationalist party to party for the taukehs and the materialistic elites. By the time he retired in 2003 the overly materialistic culture was solidly entrenched in the party as well as the Malaysians at large.

Now Mahathir is swallowing his own poison as both leaders, Abdullah and the internationally famous Najib were doing more disservice to the country. If Mahathir had commited mistakes by allowing the menace of corrupt practices in the government and getting the taukehs to control the party his most much-loved protégé Najib’s administrations are worst off a it is not just corrupt but impregnated with looters and day light robberies. As popular Malay adage goes, “kalau dah bapak kencing berdiri anak kencing berlari”.

Najib is the ultimate enemy of the rakyat and Mahathir himself has disowned his used-to-be most beloved protégé. Mahathir is now the most disappointed leader and now touring the country to get the people’s support to oust Najib Razak from PM's office.

“In essence Mahathir condones corruptions to some extent but he just can’t take someone stealing and stashing away cash owned by the rakyat in front of our naked eyes,” says one political observer to me. “Najib ought to find face-saving device to exit as early before he’s routed out together with his party,” he continued.

I agree with him that it’s good to follow persons in repentance like Dr Mahathir especially when comes to his efforts to oust Najib from power.  

(To be continued)