A doctor who sickens the nation

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has brought level-headed Malaysians of all races closer together due to their disdain for him and his misdeeds.

A recent medical examination discovered microscopic traces of blood in the urine specimen and when I confided in a doctor friend, she insisted that I undergo what is known in the medical field as a hematuria work-up.

She explained that the investigation would include an invasive procedure using a harmless sounding device called a cystocope. But when the details were revealed, a chill crept down the spine.

Being a female with no personal experience of trauma inflicted on the male genitalia, her assurance that the procedure would be over within minutes had failed to comfort me.

Nevertheless, I relented.

The English language is bereft of the appropriate words to describe what had transpired next. But the horrendous experience had scarred me for life.

During the procedure, as I winced in pain and wrestled with the urge to bludgeon the doctor to death with a bedpan, I could not help but wonder what had inspired him to become a urologist and perform such scopes for a living.

On a similar vein, I am also curious what motivated Dr Mahathir Mohamad to specialise in the field of fraudulence and instead of healing the nation, he has become one of its most devastating ailments.

The former prime minister is living proof that sound health could at times be more of a bane than a boon.

Mahathir’s greatest achievement

In 2003, when Mahathir decided to relinquish the post which he held for more than two decades, he disclosed what he considered to be his greatest achievement at an event in Kota Kinabalu.

Be warned that what is to follow is not for the faint-hearted.

According to Mahathir, it was not the Petronas Twin Towers, the Putrajaya administrative capital or even the Multimedia Super Corridor.

In his own words, the former prime minister claimed that his most notable accomplishment was fostering racial ties.

Mahathir said that he strove to continue the legacy of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the father of independence whom he now questions for granting citizenship to the Chinese and Indians.

In a news report dated Sept 9, 2003, Mahathir said that when Hussein Onn named him as his successor, there were fears that he was an ultra-Malay and an extremist. However, he added, those concerns had been proven to be unfounded.

A decade later, Mahathir, whose father was of Indian origin, is the patron of the Malay extremist movement Perkasa, which appears hell-bent on advancing an agenda of chaos vis-à-vis racial and religious strife.

Displaying his true colours, the former prime minister had defended Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali’s call on Muslims to burn Bibles which contain the word “Allah”.

Ibrahim insulted Muslims as well

Commenting on this, MIC’s S Vell Paari, who was among the first to lash out against Ibrahim, pointed out that the latter had not only belittled Christians but also insulted Muslims.

Explaining, he said that the Perkasa president wanted Muslims to torch Bibles that contained the term Allah, which was a sacred word to those who profess the Islamic faith.

He added that since Mahathir had defended Ibrahim’s absurd clarion call, the police must also act against the former premier.

In retrospect, it is difficult to imagine the damage and polarisation which this meglomaniac leader had inflicted on this nation during his 22 years as prime minister.

Those politicians who deposited their respective conscience in Swiss banks and aided this man in perpetuating his doctrine of hate must also be held accountable.

And what about us, who kept these people in power for decades, permitting them to plunder this nation of its wealth and rob it of its soul? We too must seek redemption.

When responding to Vell Paari’s criticism against his racist rants, Mahathir vowed that he would refrain from making such statements if the rest ceased to do so as well.

Such an argument is most disappointing coming from an octogenarian and begs the question if Mahathir is 88 or 8.

Having roamed the earth close to nine decades, one would expect a man with such vast experience to have accumulated wisdom. Alas, in Mahathir’s case, this is just wishful thinking.

This elementary school mentality of “I would stop pinching you if you stop pinching me” is unbecoming of a man, whom some consider to be a statesman.

Just as obsessed as Anwar

With his so-called greatest achievement under threat from the likes of Perkasa, Mahathir should behave like the patriarch of this nation, setting an example for others, and discouraging those who harp on racial and religious issues from straining relations between the various communities.

It is often said that a politician thinks of the next election whereas a statesman thinks of the next generation. Judging from Mahathir’s words and deeds, it is clear that even in this ripe old age, he is a mere political chameleon, who changes his skin colour to further his political agenda or that of his loved ones.

He cares not for the seeds of discord and division that he sows in impressionable minds nor about the consequences of his actions on the future generations of Malaysians.

When in power, Mahathir lacked the courage to reveal his true self for fear of an electoral backlash from the Chinese and Indian voters.

But now with the Chinese voters having turned their backs on Barisan Nasional and Indian votes hanging in the balance, a desperate Mahathir is attempting to plant an “us versus them” notion in the Malay psyche to rake in the votes in order to keep his nemesis out of Putrajaya and himself out of prison.

While he accuses Anwar Ibrahim of being obsessed with wanting to become prime minister and that he would put the nation at risk to achieve his ambition, Mahathir too is obsessed with preventing this from happening at whatever cost, regardless of the repercussions.

But the paradox is that Mahathir, with his verbal hematuria, had brought level-headed Malaysians of all races closer together due to their disdain for him and his misdeeds.

So perhaps, racial unity is his greatest achievement after all.