Taib's trophy wife: Will she give him a new lease of life

We are used to stories about ageing rock stars, presidents and CEOs acquiring young wives, for instance, Ronnie Wood, Vladimir Putin and Rupert Murdoch. So why should we be disturbed when one of our older politicians, Taib Mahmud decides to marry someone who is 46 years younger than him?

Putin liked to parade his trophy second wife, the scantily clad gymnast Alina Kabayeva. He also liked to show off his bulging biceps, his six-pack chest and his judo throwing techniques. Thank god Taib spared us that ordeal.

Several men in public life have taken on trophy wives and why not? What the wretched people describe as cradle snatching has a more serious side to it. It will be there for as long as there is a sexual urge and also monetary benefit. There are always givers and takers.

It is true to say that we seldom hear of a widow marrying a much younger man. More often than not, it is the bereaved widower who remarries soon after a respectable period of bereavement.

Do women perceive men as a meal ticket, one that is born out of financial necessity? Do rich and powerful men still expect a trade-off in return for their wedding ring?

Taib’s marriage may be very entertaining for the rest of us and there are enough snide comments about bedding a much younger woman to fill several volumes of ‘Tales of the Arabian Nights’.

Are we right to prejudge him? We think that children of the widower balk at the idea of their father marrying someone who is as old as his youngest grandchild. But we could be wrong.

Some children may exhibit an exterior of joy at their father’s new found love. What we may not know is that their faces and emotions mask a greater inward sense of relief.

These children realise that they are spared the rituals of tending to the needs of their elderly parent. Many people are probably aware that as men age, they get extremely cantankerous and demanding. It would be up to the young wife to accede to the demands of the husband.

As both grow older and the husbands probably get more sickly, it is up to the young wife to assume the role of nurse as well: Mopping his brow of sweat, wiping away the dribble from his lips or for the more extreme cases, dealing with his double incontinence.

There is no doubt that before elderly men get to that stage, they live life to the fullest. Some children are quietly envious that their father looks more youthful than before. Some wince when they hear stories of their father dressing inappropriately for their age and accompanying their young wives to nightclubs.

For those who are rich, the children breathe a sigh of relief that their fathers have provided for them in terms of inheritance so as to prevent future squabbles over money and properties, when the father eventually dies.

Taib Mahmud’s children are probably happy that their inheritance has been taken care of so that there is nothing to fear when he passes on.

Nevertheless, they are probably annoyed because last May, he told the world a different story about remarrying.

Semariang assemblywoman Sharifah Hashidah Syed Aman Ghazali had read Taib a pantun urging him to get married again.

He replied, “I am already 74. It's too old for me to get a new partner now.”

Taib has a wonderful sense of humour. Or perhaps he was shielding his future bride from media scrutiny.

So he teased the public saying he was ‘too old’. Surely, a Chief Minister does not want to be seen and heard telling lies?

Nowadays, newspapers can show a beaming Taib with his trophy wife - the buxom brunette hanging off his arm. - Malaysia Chronicle