Rafidah and Mahathir: Friends in adversity and when it suits

Mariam Mokhtar, Malaysia Chronicle

Looking at the camaraderie between former Prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and former International trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz, you wouldn’t think that they had spectacularly fallen out in 2005 over her abuse of the Approved Permits for the importation of cars.

But when people are desperate, even adversaries will unite.

The two were at the third Malaysia-Europe Forum Dialogue held in Kuala Lumpur. The theme of the forum, “Looking Back in Order to Move Forward” was according to Rafidah, an opportunity for Malaysia and Europe to understand their respective policies, especially on investment opportunities.

Mahathir delivered a keynote address, “The Malaysian Political Landscape – Experiences, Perspective and Thoughts”, and then answered questions from the delegates, which covered current issues, politics and his tenure as prime minister.

Rafidah, who was the advisor and patron of the forum, appeared delighted in adding greater depth and detail, to some of Mahathir’s answers.

Their team spirit and engaging manner, displayed none of the acrimony that once existed.

So what are observers to make of this spectacle?

The groundswell of support for the opposition is a threat to the government. The knowledge that the opposition is making serious inroads into the political landscape of Malaysian politics must trouble the senior ranks of BN, especially Umno.

Thus Rafidah and Mahathir are not pretending. Theirs is a genuine show of friendship because Umno is desperate to be seen as one united front. In addition, Umno is keen to be seen promoting the interests of all Malaysians.

Otherwise, why else would Mahathir change his tune and suddenly endorse Prime minster Najib Abdul Razak’s 1Malaysia concept?

He said, “When you say 'national unity' you forget your past, your origins, and identify yourself only as Malaysian, you speak one language and don't ask for privileges just because you are indigenous or non-indigenous.”

He appeared to backtrack on his ‘ketuanan Melayu’ with, “We cannot call ourselves Malaysians of Malay origin, Chinese origin or Indian origin.”

Up till this point, hadn’t he been dismissive about Najib’s 1Malaysia?

Neither is Mahathir singing Najib’s tune simply to woo the Europeans at the Forum, even though the EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman David Jones was also present to deliver a working paper at this forum.

Few will forget Mahathir’s “Look East” policy. Moreover, it is not in Mahathir’s nature to cultivate the goodwill of the Europeans.

No. He and Rafidah are suddenly championing 1Malaysia because just like Umno and BN, they are afraid.

There is a high probability that were Pakatan to triumph in the next general election, the old guard of Mahathir, including past and present politicians, will be brought to trial to answer charges of corruption, nepotism and abuses of power. They will be asked to declare their assets and how they came by them. They will be asked to return the monies to the public. They may be jailed.

At the forum, Mahathir defended his introduction of the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA): “All students study on public money. It is a waste of public money when they spend their time demonstrating, when you are paid to study and don't study”.

Rafidah, who moderated Mahathir's talk, interjected and made references to Anwar: “I was a lecturer in UM. (Opposition Leader) Anwar Ibrahim was (then) a student of mine, and there was no UUCA at the time.”

She poured more scorn onto Anwar and said, “Look at what happened to him. He spent most of his time politicking and classes were disrupted. It is so disruptive for education, to those who didn't bother.”

Being an academic, she agreed with the UUCA because its ‘stabilizing effect on education would prevent the emergence of more ‘Anwars’’.

Last June, Rafidah said that rebellious and outspoken young Malaysians were hindering Mahathir’s Vision of 2020. She blamed them and the younger generation of politicians for going on “ego-trips”.

She said, “When I became a politician, I never dared to speak out against my seniors... I was in awe of them and I wanted to learn from them.”

And that’s where the problem lies.

During Rafidah’s time, her “seniors” would presumably be the people who led the country after Merdeka. These were men and women of integrity, honour and distinction, who deemed it a privilege to serve the public.

Sadly, during our time, the calibre of our ‘seniors’- the likes of Mahathir onwards, is appalling.