Mahathir Resigns - the politics of self-survivorship.

Trust me, you can’t fully understand the whole 48 hours drama in Malaysia politics without seeing it through the eyes of the family of Anwar Ibrahim. The view from where they are standing already foretold the stormy horizon ahead. 

Take their daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar, for example. She quit the tumultuous coalition government (PH) even before her first anniversary (April last year) because the struggle for power between the grand old sage of politics Mahathir and her father has reached a point of no return. 

In fact, she was the symbol, the canary in the coalmine of what is now happening in the last 48 hours, that is, the shocking resignation of Mahathir and his appointment as caretaker PM until a leader (with majority) comes along. 

She said: “The big impact is you may not be able to see Anwar Ibrahim as the next PM, because the next PM has to be the one who receives the most support from the alliance and the people.”

She had resigned and will not be seeking re-election because she saw through Mahathir’s action and ploy, calling him “the former dictator”. 

But, the question is, is Mahathir attempting to form a backdoor government with the old kleptocratic regime? That is, a remarriage of sorts because better the devil you know than the one you can’t tell for sure? Hold that thot...

Next comes her father. 

All things considered, Anwar Ibrahim has suffered enough, but who is to say enough is enough?

He came out of a twenty year struggle for a clean and fair Malaysian governmemt under the banner of Bersih. He also made an uneasy peace with the one who had locked him up for all those years, thereby giving rejuvenated hope for the people that Malaysia can change, that Malaysia is really boleh. 

But now, this happens - the disintegration of PH, the defection in his own party, and the enigmatic shocking move of Mahathir, just because he said he will not work with the past regime, referring to the Najib-stained UMNO. 

So, from the view of Anwar, things get misty eye because the student is still orbiting around the master teacher’s finger. His daughter felt that he was too soft in engaging Mahathir’s salvos. 

In fact, Anwar pleaded with Mahathir not to step down. He said that the treachery can be addressed together, that is, the two of them against the corruption. 

But, “he was of a different mind. (Mahathir) thought he shouldn’t be treated in that manner, to be associated as working with those who are literally corrupt,” so said Anwar. 

“He made it very clear, in no way would he work with those in the past regime” for Najib had broken the law...”stealing government money.”

But the question is, does Mahathir trust Anwar and his party enough to continue working with him? Was his resignation then a calculated move because he does not see a future with PH alliance mainly on three fronts: -

First, the defection from PH (led by Azmi) and the break away of his own party PPBM (led by Muhyiddin);

Second, the growing strength of UMNO and PAS by opportunistically playing the race card, dividing the nation, and rallying the Malay voters to their side; and 

Lastly, and let’s face it, Mahathir is not getting any younger. At 94, he may have made peace with Anwar, but he will not have his legacy stained by leading a hardly viable government whose patriotic fuel from the astounding victory two years ago is running really low. Mind you, PH lost 4 of 5 of the by-election held last year.

And however unbearable to think of the old regime as corrupt, it is still one that Mahathir had led for decades. Thus, absence may just make the heart go fonder. 

So, there is two options for him: first, quit politics and retire for good, considering his age. It’s time to stretch those legs in Bahamas. 

Or, go for that premiership for the third time round, but with the winning coalition, which at the rate things are going seems to favour working with one’s past enemy. 

For if Mahathir can make peace with his foremost nemesis, Anwar, who is to say he can’t make peace with Najib, his favoured protege, (or the party he had led, UMNO)? Anyway, both in his eyes have broken the law, one for sodomy and the other bribery. 

And finally, seeing the whole saga through the eye of Wan Azizah is the most heartbreaking of them all.

The unassuming former ophthalmologist once complained to her husband in jail, recounting this: "I went to him and said "I can't stand it, going around campaigning and all that, why don't we change places"...and he said "You will never survive it." Then I knew it was not easy.""

Well, politics is a game of survivorship. And the quizzical thing about politics is that the ones who get it right, which are rare, follow only one rule - keep your promises to the people, at all costs. 

But the ones who get it wrong, follow many rules, except the one rule that good governance demands. The many rules are essentially the rules of self-survivorship, and they will strive to hold on to power, at all costs.

Betrayal of the Reformasi Spirit.

Oh dear, this is cause for concern for our next door neighbour. After the May 9 victory, the ruling party PH is not exactly doing well on the reformasi side. 

The surprise resignation of PH’s Vice president and daughter of Anwar, Nurul Izzah, was a big blow to the government. She said, “Yes, dad and mum are aware of my decision. It’s not something that’s decided overnight.”

Well, she surely had time to brew things over after becoming vice president. As the princess of reform (Puteri Reformasi), Nurul sees a dark cloud covering the democratic landscape.

She wrote: “Betrayal of mandate given the 9th of May (elections), insults those who are loyal to the cause...There is no meaning to democracy if Malaysia is governed by elite-based politicking.”

Nurul did not reveal much, largely because it’s a government (and party) her dad may take over in two years’ time if the grand old sage of politics, Mahathir, keeps to his promise. But what little she unveiled said enough about the direction that politics is shaping up in Malaysia.

First, there was the misgivings on the appointment of former inspector-general of police, Abdul Rahim Noor, as “a facilitator of peace talks in southern Thailand.” He was the one who gave her father the black eye when Anwar was in jail. 

Nurul said: “I unequivocally oppose this appointment of a brutal assaulter of an innocent man as he lay there blindfolded and handcuffed - left without medical attention for days.”

Then, there is the revival of a nonagenarian’s pet project, to build a national car. This expensive diversion led her to tweet that she hopes the government “will take into account the concerns shown by the people.”

Last but not least, is the fractionalim in the party. This is the case of senior leaders caught up in their own blind ambition for higher posts and the “allegations of manipulations, and worse, even fist fights breaking out.”

It reports that “in private conversations, she has shared her frustration over the federal government’s failure to address many issues, even as reforms have been carried out.”

Lesson? Mm...

Let me unveil another article today entitled “Old-style politics back with a vengeance in Malaysia” by Shannon Teoh, where he listed the various shortcomings of the Reformasi changes thus far. He wrote: -

“Instead, we have seen the early promise of a New Malaysia dim in the wake of several developments: The government lifted its own moratorium on draconian laws allowing for detention without trial and on offences such as sedition barely two months after initiating the freeze; racial rhetoric is on the rise; with Pakatan Harapan (PH) backtracking in a move to ratify a United Nations accord on anti-discrimination; and now, some members of the ruling pact are welcoming the very people Malaysians kicked out of power a few months ago.”

Well, welcoming the very people Malaysians kicked out of power may be a good thing if they have mended their ways and now pledge loyalty to the people’s movement. 

But alas, knowing full well that politics is about the struggle for power and not the devotion to the struggles of the people, my hope for that kind of re-energising change for the people is equally dimmed. 

Considering the recent major defections of MPs from Umno, with some choosing sides between the Mahathir and Anwar camps, I can understand the ominous condition laid down by Mahathir in fine small print when he said that he will resign in two years time, but “it is up to the people to accept Mr Anwar as their new leader.”

Replace the “people” with politicians or MPs and you know why the two sides are building up their power base with Mahathir having a head start due to his political clout and influence. 

Oh Ei Sun, a principal adviser to Pacific Research Centre puts it well: “The main concern is not so much the future of Umno, whose collapse is inevitable, but both the Mahathir and Anwar camps are swooping in like vultures to pinch what is left of Umno’s carcass in their tussle over the promised succession.” 

Maybe, as Singaporeans, something inside of us hope that Malaysians will be distracted enough by their own internal in-fightings to not cause any territorial and power disturbances to our little red dot over the rail, water and sea boundary issues. 

But, as good neighbours, what happens to them spills over to us. Their instability will send tremors down our pathway to progress, and conversely, their prosperity benefits us too. 

In other words, no honest and good politician secretly embraces the politics of schadenfreude, that is, taking pleasure in another’s misery.

Politics between two neighbour states is ultimately about survival by pursuing one’s sovereign interests, but once survival is achieved on both sides, flourishing is the next logical step to development, and as game theory has shown thru the playing out of thousands of different scenarios, the wisest policy in politics is still cooperation, collaboration and mutuality of growth and development. 

This is not just a tic-for-tat tactical move but more of a I-am-here-for-you kind of long-term strategic relations building. 

So, let me end on an ironic note. 

PH has to concede that they won largely because of the grand old sage of politics. In scientific term, PH is not pH neutral. You can’t imagine a PH without a Mahathir to lead the charge. I guess this lend political credence to the saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend or political collaborator. 

But that saying hides the next sentiment that the enemy of my enemy can just as well become our worst enemy after the friendship of convenience is spent. 

So, the added irony is in these words by Shannon: “He (Mahathir) delivered the election with cold political calculation and shrewd pugilistic tactics. So why the surprise and disappointment when he uses the same to secure himself in power?”

Alas, that’s how politics are? Can the crab walk straight then? 

And when being criticised by the liberal reformists for accepting Umno “rubbish”, Mahathir said: “We are a democratic government, we believe in democracy and democracy allows frogs to jump.”

Mm...in the same vein with the wistful pleading for crabs to walk straight, can frogs - however the age - stay with one’s promise of succession and not jump out of it in the blind ambition for power grabs? 

I guess only time will tell, and in the predictable degeneration of crude politics, I dread that the only alternative to stop this hopping madness is to resort to having frog legs for dinner.

Hot-button issues: Ministerial Pay.

This is a hot button issue: ministerial pay. And our neighbour across the causeway is pressing it. They are taking a pay cut of 10%. 

Mahathir said: "We are concerned about the country's financial problems. We find that ministers' salaries are lower than (that of) high ranking civil servants. (But) we will reduce ministers' salaries by 10 per cent."

He added: "When I was first appointed PM way back in 1981, the first thing I did was to cut the salaries of ministers and senior civil servants."

Well, as it is, our counterpart are not earning much, comparatively speaking. 

It reports that "the Prime Minister of Malaysia makes RM22,826.65 a month, while a minister earns a monthly salary of RM14,907.20".

Alas, this always brings us back to the moneyed elephant in our own cabinet room. 

It is a fact that our ministers' pay are the highest in the world. They are like international CEOs running Singapore Inc driven by the profit/ economic motive or ensuring their stakeholders are properly compensated. 

But then, who are their stakeholders then? 

If it is the hoi polloi, then it can't be denied that there are old folks amongst us still pushing carts and selling discarded cardboards in public to make a living and families struggling to make ends meet after being fired from their jobs. 

Am I being sensationalistic with anecdotal evidence here just for effect? Maybe, but my point goes deeper than that. 

The late opposition politician J. B. Jeyaretnam once said that "public office should never be compared to the private sector because the former is an honour, duty, and service that must not be demeaned with a price tag."

However, our founder Lee Kuan Yew rebutted that with this: -

“But they are of a different generation, and I am not saying that they would not have made the same sacrifices. I could still pay them on the old rates, but would I be doing the right thing by them and by the country? For my generation, it does not matter.”

Lee added:-

"For the generation that knows my colleagues and I, I do not have to prove anything. But perhaps for the younger generation I ought to mention that I do not believe Singapore is wise in demanding of my younger colleagues that same total, absolute dedication to a cause. I am not saying they are not, but I am saying I do not want to put them to that stress.”

Mm...maybe it is time to review the above statement in the light of our 4G leaders' recent unwavering commitment and manifesto to ensure that they do their earnest part to bridge the income gap and social divide? 

Maybe, action speaks louder than words and the first thing our ministers should consider or reflect is this:-

"How are they going to bridge the gap (as an example) when the income they take home is much more than they will ever need, the houses they own and stay in are in neighbourhoods that are generally exclusive to the rest of the population, and their children gets the best tuition and the most conducive and protected environment for growth with the education their kids receive, whether local or overseas, amongst the top?"

Now, let's be fair, none of this is their fault. 

They are an industrious lot, smart and sincere. They are competent administratively and work the ground quite tirelessly to bridge the gap. And generally, I choose to believe they are principled leaders. 

But surely, they are principled not because they are paid handsomely right?

In other words, it doesn't mean that once you shave off the creamy portion of their pay, they lose their ethics and morals right? 

Mind you, I am not saying that they ought to reduce their pay to the "pathetic" level of the Malaysian leaders. 

However, I do admit that that's a simplistic equation, that is, equating ethics with pay. 

So, here's the more deeply-reflective one and it is hidden in the words of the fiery David Marshall. 

He once said: "I've got nothing against money. I'd like to have money myself. I'd like to have a house and a garden and dogs and a car and a chauffeur, but look, I've got a flat. I've got a swimmmg pool attached to the flat. I do not have a car but I use taxis. I have a dignified way of life without being wealthy."

That's the word I am looking for: Dignity. Mr Marshall had a dignified way of life without being wealthy. 

The point is not so much about wealth and its corrupt effect on the unsuspecting, but it is about dignity and the character that no money can buy. 

And incidentally, in the papers today, it is reported that million of dollars of bribe money were allegedly offered to investigators of the 1MDB to entice them to drop the case against Najib. 

But the investigators refused the honey trap. They rather stand by what is right and reject wealth and its corrupting effect. Surely, they are not handsomely paid as officials of their government, right? 

So, that is what dignity looks like. 

It is therefore not about being wealthy. Not about living large in exclusive estates. Not about bringing home the bacon that can feed their own generations after generations. 

And it's definitely not about promising the country that they will bridge the income and social gap, but alas, the only gap that is closing for them is that golden retirement nest gap where they have been building up so that they can live a life beyond their wildest dream while the rest can only dream about.

Like it or not, there is always a discernible disconnect when a rich man standing on the podium promising the poor man that he has got his back and then, he walks away taking the last tattered shirt off his back. 

This is a hyperbolic example, but I think you get the point about living a dignified life free from the alienating effect of accumulated wealth beyond one's needs as compared to a less than dignified one because one is presumed to be unable to be motivated to serve with "honour, duty, and service" if he or she is not paid commensurate market rates. 

So, I think more debate has to be carried out on this point because our government is not without self-awareness. 

Recently, the recommendation was to raise their pay by 9%, but they rejected it and insisted instead of a pay freeze until 2023 (when our raised GST to 9% may just kick in). 

Let me thus end with an extract of LKY's statement quoted above. 

He said: "But perhaps for the younger generation I ought to mention I do not believe Singapore is wise in demanding of my younger colleagues that same total, absolute dedication to a cause. I am not saying they are not, but I am saying I do not want to put them to that stress.”

Actually, there is a lot of Singaporeans who are put under a lot of stress. 

The high cost of living, the unrelentingly competitive and elitist meritocratic high road, the uncertainty of employment prospect and the issue of not having enough for old age with their flats becoming a market liability are enough to rob many of the soul and confidence to fight on. 

So, compared to that, I think our well-endowed ministers can cope with a little minor adjustment, right? Cheerz.

Returning to the Kingmaker's First Choice.

When I read that the King is going to pardon Anwar so as to pave the way for him to become the eighth PM of Malaysia, I thought to myself: "You can't have a better fairy tale ending with Malaysian politics."

If this is not love behind the scenes, that is, twenty years of devotion, dedication and faithfulness to the cause, both to the nation and marriage/family, then nothing is.

One senior fellow and academic, Mr Yang Razali Kassim, said: “Dr Wan Azizah is once again forced to be the reluctant saviour – the loyal wife who has to dig deep into her inner energy to be many things all at once. She is the alter ego of her husband, mother to her children, and the alternate glue that binds the disparate opposition parties together.”

To me, her struggles over twenty years make her not just a reluctant saviour, but the unsung heroine of the whole political revolution that culminated to the most stunning and inspiring landslide victory in Malaysian political history. 

If there were a theme in GE14, it is this:-

"The underdog led by an old dog supported by a mixed group of pariah, that is, persona non grata of the ruling party, with an imprisoned great Dane waiting by the wing while his Lassie-like wife tirelessly working behind the scene". 

It is a metaphorical tribute of canine-like loyalty, integrity, and tenacity. 

And that was how the citadel of defiance, complacency and corruption with a history of 60 years fell on Wednesday. 

This time the opposition did not just bark their way into a resounding victory. They walked the ground and promised to serve and sacrifice for all to turn the country around. 

Now, after the victory dust settles, this alliance confronts their greatest test, and it is the crucible of time to transform a nation they love. 

Mind you, the electoral victory on Wednesday is but the first gunshot fired to start a race and the journey ahead is still a long and challenging one.

I therefore earnestly wish Malaysians all the best in this hardscrabble journey to serve the Rakyat.

But having said all that, I would like to draw out some readily identifiable ironies of GE14. For locked in this anthology of ironies are lessons that I can learn from. Here goes. 

First, two days after the crushing defeat, Umno "celebrated" its 72nd anniversary with a prayer session. 

It was supposed to be a grand affair with much pomposity in anticipation of a win in GE14. But history was not on their side this time. 

The irony is in the words of Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin. At the muted celebration, he said: "To return to the original UMNO, we must undergo a major change within." 

He then said that "changes needed include "absolute honesty, outstanding courage and painful sacrifice."" He called for the "rebuilding of the party" and for members to return to its "original spirit". 

Incidentally, Mahathir's advice for them was this: "Go back to your roots".

The second irony rides on the words of Khairy when he said about "absolute honesty, outstanding courage and painful sacrifice".

When you watch the luxuriant couple, Najib and Rosmah Mansor, whom the papers describe as "the ubiquitous kedai kopi or on the road in taxis", you get the feeling that the only "painful sacrifice" they had offered to the nation was to come out of their palatial comfort once every end of term to campaign in the open sun. 

I guess Rosmah may have to return her 22-carat pinky diamond necklace together with her trolley stuff of Birkin handbag collection, which collectively are worth millions. 

And regarding "absolute honesty", that virtue has somehow been beaten into a pulp under Najib's administration, not only with the 1MDB scandal where billions had allegedly gone missing, but it goes further to poison the roots of the party with the cowardice of last-minute redelineation exercise to dilute the opposition electoral grounds, the temporary ban on Mahathir's Bersatu party, the hasty passing of the fake news bill to suppress genuine voices, "the circumscription of voting eligibility", the last ditch pitch to throw tax exemptions at voters under 26, shameless cash handouts to voters on the street, and to top it up, the new rules on media ban on publicising Mahathir's face on the campaign trail, which led him to say this to reporters after the win:-

"I thought you want to see the paper not my face. Now I would like to tell you that my face is no longer haram. We don't have to tear out the picture of my face. I'm not saying anything against the government, you know. By the way, at this moment, there is no government."

The party's desperation to throw the kitchen sink at GE14 like the tomato fight in Valencia town spilled over into the street and yet they still lost by a considerable margin. 

Imagine if they had been "absolutely honest" to the voters...wouldn't the town be painted in crimson red overall?

The third irony centers around the grand old man of the voting match. At 92, going 93, Mahathir sweeps in like a reckoning force of nature and blows the Umno house down in one swift victorious grab.

The great irony here is that Najib was his choice. He groomed him personally after Badawi lost favour with the kingmaker. 

But Badawi was not as controversial as Najib with the latter's blatant admission that the billions of ringgit entering his personal bank account was a political donation from the Saudis. 

Although the Attorney General cleared Najib of all wrongdoings, Mahathir was not even the least convinced by Apandi Ali's simplistic, and almost laughable, money flow charts, which he proudly held in both hands before the media in 2016 as a triumphalistic vindication of Najib.

I guess those flow charts would be taken out once again and forensically scrutinized by Mahathir's government in the coming months for hidden links and traces that were conveniently left out before.

Can't wait to see how this CSI mystery gets unraveled, that is, is it really a donation to fight terrorism or a corruption to hide a greedy administration? After all, the missing funds belong to the people, Rakyat.

Alas, Mahathir did give Najib a chance to resign so that proper account and investigation could be carried out with him out of the way. 

But Najib not only held on to power in reaction to his mentor's plea, he even went on the offensive and fired all those who refused to accept his self-declared innocence in one broad sweep, including his padawan master.

So, Mahathir took the road less travelled, or in his case, a road no premier before him had never trekked (because it was deemed political suicide).

He quit the party he dedicated 22 years of his premiership to, rallied up an alliance of foe-turned-friends, and led them in a show of unprecedented unity to go against the party he no longer recognises as good for the nation. 

In fact, if a fish rots first from the head, then it is a party that is not even remotely recognisable by him.   

And on Wednesday, the unexpected happened. The people's will sealed it. His newly minted party won by a simple majority. 

His party defeated a 60-year-old political Levithan with effectively a sling and a stone right at the heart of where it truly matters. That sent Goliath in sarong scampering for a quick getaway with his wife over the weekend. 

And the latest is that Najib has quit as BN head and banned from travel. Mahathir has a hand in the latter when he said: "It's true, I prevented Najib from leaving the country...(because) there's sufficient evidence that certain things done by the former PM (require an investigation)."

So, Mahathir not only did the unthinkable, and defeated the unsinkable, he also became the oldest head of state in the history of government to prove that he is still undeniable.

Mm...how's that for a twist of fates, or more appropriately, the wicked turn of ironies.

The fourth irony is about Dr Wan Azizah and Anwar, the couple who have inspired millions. 

If PH stands for the alliance of hope, then Anwar and Azizah together, especially for the last twenty years, stands for the alliance of love. And it spoke volume.

It has been a great struggle for Azizah, as she admitted that she was not born into the role as a politician. 

In a recent interview, she recalled this conversation she had with Anwar in prison:-

"I went to him and said "I can't stand it, going around campaigning and all that, why don't we change places"...and he said "You will never survive it." Then I knew it was not easy.""

It was indeed never easy, for both of them, including their children.

Their children have no doubt all grown up by now. But before that, that is, after their father was sacked, charged and convicted in 1998 and right through last Wednesday, Azizah lamented that raising the children alone was no easy task. 

She said: "I come back at night and see the children lying asleep, it gives (me) that extra motivation...No matter how tired you are, you are working for (their) future."

But alas, her toil has paid off, fully and most deservingly. Her working for her children's future has culminated to her being the deputy PM of Malaysia and President of PH. 

In fact, to sweeten irony with trivia, here is one fact that comes to mind after the electoral victory.

There are currently two medical doctors leading Malaysia, one a general practitioner from NUS and the other, a trained ophthalmologist who had won a gold medal in obstetrics and gynaecology from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The latter is Dr Wan Azizah.  

Indeed, the doctors are in the house.

And with that, I have come full circle from where I first started in this post. I thus return to the news yesterday about Anwar receiving the King's pardon. The journey has been an incredible one for Anwar (in fact, the latest is that Anwar will be released on Tuesday).

Mahathir said he can't do this for long. He gives himself two years and then, Anwar will take over. 

The kingmaker has finally found his successor, after two of his handpicked stepped down; one voluntarily and the other by force of the will of the people.  

Mahathir said: "It is going to be a full pardon, (he will) be released immediately when he is pardoned. After that, he will be free to participate fully in politics." 

After all's said and done here, the final (and fifth) irony has to be this: the Reformasi movement which took Malaysia by storm in 1998 when Anwar, as deputy PM, was sacked by Mahathir, has bore its first resilient fruit, that is, the fruit of freedom - Anwar's full pardon and return into the fold.  

The dean of comparative and international politics at NTU, Professor Joseph Liow wrote this in yesterday's article "A New Dawn in Malaysia":-

"GE14 was truly an epic tale for the ages, in defiance of history and the powers of incumbency, the Reformasi movement birthed in the wake of the Asian financial crisis 20 years ago appears to have finally come of age, midwifed by the man it was conceived to oppose in the first place."

By a serendipitous convergence of ironies, the prodigal son of Malaysia has finally returned. 

No, he is not Anwar, but the current Malaysian PM, who had realised his errors, made amends for them by (ironically) leading the Reformasi movement (supposedly against him and the system he had left behind) and is now setting the stage for the official handing over of the succession crown to his rightful deputy, Anwar Ibrahim.

A plan 20 years in the making, with blood, sweat and regrets. 

(ps: I have no delusion about Mahathir's past especially the BMF scandals in his early years as the premier. That was a 30-year mystery - some say cover-up - and with the win, I think his tainted past is now a distant smog superceded by the resurgence of an old, wiser man driven more by the existential call of mortality than the desperation of self-expediency).

And when that transition comes, when Mahathir hands over, the house will no longer be occupied by two medical doctors but by the most recognisable couple of Malaysia, whose love for each other and the nation has never waned because they have always been fighting for the hearts and the future of all Malaysians.

And mind you, that might just be another first in the history of government with the wife as deputy PM and her husband as PM. It would be a match made by the will of the people and held together by unfailing love and unsurpassed hope. Cheerz.