James Chin: Tun M fighting for his political dynasty
POLITICAL analyst James Chin asserts that former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is actively working to uphold his ideologies by establishing a political dynasty.
Chin wrote on the X platform about how he gave a talk to a group of financiers, individuals with enormous financial power who move their funds in and out of emerging markets, telling them that they would have to live with Dr Mahathir’s politics for some time.
“They (financiers) are interested in Malaysia and Indonesia. A common question was posed: Is Dr Mahathir returning, and if so, why is he attempting a comeback at this age? After all, his legacy is assured. You cannot write a book about Malaysia without mentioning his name,” he said.
I just gave a talk to a group of financiers. These are individuals with enormous financial power who move their funds in and out of emerging markets and they invite people like me to speak to them regularly. They are interested in Malaysia and Indonesia. A common question was… Show more
“He sees himself as the ultimate prime minister (PM) slayer. He played the major role in getting rid of at least 3 PM- Tunku Abdul Rahman, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Now he is targeting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. All these individuals do not measure up to his expectations,” he said.
On the other hand, Dr Mahathir is wooing the Malay community to only listen to his views on ethnicity in Malaysia.
“Dr Mahathir wants the Malays to only hold his opinions regarding ethnicity. In 1970, he published his magnus opus-The Malay Dilemma. In it, he made it clear that Malaysia cannot have equal citizenship rights for all.
“In his view, the ‘immigrant races’, meaning the Chinese and Indians, are more advanced compared to the Malays in terms of work ethic, entrepreneurship and education due to colonialism. If the system was based on meritocracy, the Malays would be left far behind.”
Moreover, Chin noted that Dr Mahathir warned of a ‘complete Sinocisation of the economy of the country’ from predatory Chinese (Dr Mahathir, 1970, pp. 25, 51).
Dr Mahathir regards himself as the ultimate arbiter in the political sphere of Malaysia.
The former Langkawi MP is of the opinion that his political views can only be carried out if a family member or son assumes power, thus creating a ‘Mahathir’ political dynasty.
“Dr Mahathir probably wants his son Mukhriz to be PM one day but he does not say so openly.
“To be fair, this is not unusual in this region: Lee Hsien Loong; Megawati Sukarnoputri; Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; Bong Bong Marcos; Benigno Aquino III are all political dynasties. Even Pak Jokowi is trying with his son.” – Nov 25, 2023
There is a Tun Razak political dynasty - which hasn't ended well, due to the Kleptocracy of the Son, Tun Hussein Onn political dynasty -which didn't work out , largely due to defects of H2O, ..
ReplyDeleteSo... Mahathir doesn't see why he shouldn't muscle in his own political dynasty. It's too bad Mukhriz doesn't have the Right Stuff.