Marina Mahathir and Bersih 2.0

Is Marina Mahathir a genuine righteous person who will take on UMNO and her father in the interest of the Rakyat or is she merely a Mahathir strategy to crush Bersih from within?

By Ken

It appears that Datuk Marina Mahathir is preparing herself to join Ambiga and other Bersih leaders, as can be gleaned from her articles in the Star, Malaysiakini (see “Gov't feels threatened, says Marina” 18 Jul 2011), etc. about her “heroic” participation in Bersih 2.0.

However, while it appears that she supports Bersih 2.0, her actions and non-actions cast significant doubts on this matter.

Yes, she joined many others in criticizing the police and the UMNO government of their crackdown and threats before Bersih 2.0. If she was so committed to Bersih 2.0, why didn’t she, a prominent supposedly human rights activist, play an active role in Bersih 2.0? After all, Ambiga had invited everyone to join Bersih 2.0, given its noble cause.

It was clear to all that Bersih 2.0 would happen and that the UMNO government and police would suppress it violently with tear gas, water cannon, assault and arrests at the least. Ambiga and many thousands of others braved these threats against their personal safety in the interest of the nation and made Bersih 2.0 happen.

There were a few prominent personalities who saw what was happening and wanted to ensure that they could continue to lay claim to championing democracy and human rights by positioning themselves in the march where they would be safe. It appears that this is the case with Marina Mahathir.

If Marina had not written those articles, would we have known that she, a prominent personality, was in Bersih 2.0? If she had really believed in the ideals of Bersih 2.0, she should have been in the front on that date to face the tear gas, water cannon and police violence. If she had been there, would the police have been brave enough to direct all that violence towards the crowd led by her, knowing that they would meet the wrath of her father, the ever-powerful Tun Dr.Mahathir, who is very close to her?

Writing about the event AFTER it has happened is for journalists and bloggers. People claiming to be champions and leaders must go beyond writing and act. Marina Mahathir did not act when the opportunity presented itself.

While Marina has become particularly vocal lately on Bersih 2.0, Tun Dr. Mahathir, who is always ready to comment on any happening in the country or outside, has been relatively quiet, except for some light comments before the event and illogical comments after the event about Bersih 2.0 being a Malay vs non-Malay matter.

Numerous people are praising Marina Mahathir for being very vocal, even if it is after Bersih 2.0, with some claiming that she is a righteous person, a great leader and a potential PM. It looks like that Datuk Marina Mahathir is ready to enter active politics in the light of growing support from Bersih supporters as well as UMNO/BN members who would surely not want to displease Tun Dr. Mahathir, knowing the Tun’s powers and influence.

What is also strange is that some individuals such as Mathias Chang who are closely associated with Tun Dr Mahathir (the advisor and brains behind Perkasa) have also become very critical of the UMNO government’s handling of Bersih 2.0 (see Malaysia Today’s “Barisan Nasional’s sledge-hammer reaction to the Bersih Rally on 9th July 2011”), thereby lending further credence to Marina’s active championing of Bersih.

And to ensure that Marina’s “efforts” with regards to Bersih 2.0 are not overlooked or ignored, harsh critics have emerged to present illogical arguments which put Marina in good light. An example is Wong Sai Kim’s letter, “Open letter to Marina Mahathir's take on Bersih 2.0” in Malaysiakini (21 Jul 2011). Such an eloquently comprehensive letter should have been directed at Ambiga or Bersish 2.0, but Wong has chosen to direct it at Marina Mahathir. Why?

If Bersih is successful, UMNO’s fall is inevitable. If UMNO goes down, it will not just be Najib who will fall but also many, many others including Tun Dr Mahathir and his family and friends.

With so much at stake, Bersih must be crushed and all possible strategies must be deployed. Is Marina Mahathir a genuine righteous person who will take on UMNO and her father in the interest of the Rakyat or is she merely a Mahathir strategy to crush Bersih from within? Her actions, and not mere words, will provide the answer.