Mahathir is no storyteller, just a bitter man creating disunity

FMT:

Mahathir is no storyteller, just a bitter man creating disunity

No storyteller is worth his salt if his sole aim is to mock others or, more recently, claim that Malaysian Indians and Chinese are not so loyal.

Letter to the Editor - 10 Feb 2024, 11:24pm




From Clement Stanley


Former Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin recently said he believed that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad was a better storyteller than his once former protege, Anwar Ibrahim.

Maybe Mahathir was – once upon a time.

But it’s hard to see him, much less describe him, as a storyteller now.

Anyone who spews venomous and hateful rhetoric about his fellow men, especially about “the other”, is no storyteller.

A better description would be that he’s a heartless person who is spewing hate.

No storyteller is worth his salt if his sole aim is to mock others or, more recently, claim as Mahathir did, that Malaysian Indians and Chinese are not so loyal.

No responsible storyteller will create friction and suspicion among peace-loving people.

The stories that you tell, especially if they are negative and laced with bitterness, could well become ingrained in the minds of your listeners, be they young or old, who cannot think and reason.

A storyteller may believe that the only way his story can be understood is to use simple words and analogies and repeat them, which Khairy says was a tactic employed by Mahathir.

Khairy believes this might be effective in reaching the target audience.

Back then, maybe. But what one should keep in mind now is the essence of the story, or rather the tall tales Mahathir tells.

What is the value and moral of the story? If there is zero value, if there are zero morals in your story, what have you achieved as a storyteller?

At the ripe old age of 98, Mahathir must have some heart-warming stories to tell the public, having been a prime minister not once but twice, which he can always share.

But for now, it is best if Mahathir keeps his bitterness to himself because whatever story he comes up with, it is nothing more than an expression of an angry man who should be ignored.



Clement Stanley is an FMT reader.