‘And the response will be Umno is worse’

Leaders of powerful countries commit horrific crimes but not only do they get away with them, they are also celebrated as heroes, says Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad has taken another swipe at the hypocrisy of Western powers, particularly the US, which, according to him, celebrated leaders who massacred babies.

These powers, he added, urged other nations to apply the rule of law if they wanted to be democrats like them.

“If we don’t, then we might be replaced through regime change or be arrested, tried and jailed for a hundred years.

“Truly we are living in a world devoted to fairness and justice, a world where full legal process would be instituted against us because we are weak.

“Only the weak would be punished; the strong would be celebrated as heroes for committing the same crimes,” said the former premier in his latest blog posting.

Mahathir said this was akin to what teachers told students in the past, which was “do as I told you but don’t do as I do”.

And the response to this, he added, would be that Umno was much worse.

Since his ties soured with his former heir apparent Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, Mahathir had often accused his former deputy and now opposition leader of being backed by the US.

In the aftermath of the Bersih 3.0 rally, Mahathir had claimed that it was an attempt to topple the government.

Speculation had always been rife that Mahathir found the prospect of the Anwar-led Pakatan Rakyat storming into federal power unnerving as it could see him being investigated and hauled to court over a string of allegations ranging from corruption to abuse of power during his 22 years in office.

The 84-year-old statement’s latest posting was prompted by the 50-year jail sentence imposed on former Liberian president Charles Taylor in the Hague.

“He is 64 years old and 50 years really means a life sentence for him. The prosecution was disappointed as they had asked for 80 years.

“I suppose the prosecution expected him to be discharged at the end of 80 years when he would be 144 years old! He must live to that age so he could suffer fully for his crimes,” he said.

Conceding that Taylor was guilty of inhumane crimes, Mahathir, however, said that leaders of powerful countries cannot be arrested and tried, not even when their war crimes were much worse.

“These leaders starved new-born babies, deprived them of medicine, and exposed them to depleted uranium until half-a-million of them died in Iraq. As (former US secretary of state) Madeline Albright said, it was worth it.

“Leaders of powerful nations who had set up the International Criminal Court, who formulated the laws governing wars, who tried war criminals and sentenced them to death; leaders of powerful countries were privileged, were above the very laws they formulated.

“No! They were actually heroes and their pictures were put up in the Presidential Palace with proper ceremonies, so the nation would always remember them for their bravery in killing babies and potential terrorists,” he added.