Dr Mahathir Mohamed, prime dispenser of racially toxic politics in the national discourse, has invited unity minister Aaron Ago Dagang to meet up for a chat.
Apparently, Aaron is under the impression that a chat with Mahathir offers the former a chance to dissuade him from the racialist stances that these days emanate from the former premier.
Aaron is being naïve: Mahathir’s racist orientation is well known and entrenched.
A meet-up with Aaron will only enable Mahathir to create a rhetorical smokescreen behind which he can plausibly portray himself a realist, not a racist; and one who is willing to call a spade a spade.
Unless one is skilled in forensic reasoning, it is futile to joust with Mahathir.
That was why it was myopic of the DAP to have dropped P Ramasamy at the last state election because he is about the only one in the Pakatan Harapan stable that can verbally slay the dragon.
Tactically, it is better to induce Mahathir to talk for that would give him more rope to hang himself.
Mahathir, in his remarks questioning the loyalty of Indian Malaysians – not just Indians but also Chinese Malaysians, has slithered down a dangerous slope.
The opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN), to which he is some kind of adviser, is looking for support from non-Malays in its bid to unseat the unity government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Mahathir’s latest remarks complicate that effort and render him a liability to PN.
Aaron ’s naive assumption he can talk Mahathir out of verbal misdemeanours underestimates the malevolence of the man.
Mahathir would sooner tie Aaron in a knot then be persuaded to forswear his rants.
He will deploy yet more arguments why his racial spiel is a realist politician’s dispensing of the husk to get to the kernel of race relations in a plural society.
Rather than hush him up or persuade him otherwise, he should be induced to shoot his bolt, the better a listening public can make conclusions about the nature of the man.
Mahathir has been a racist for a long time: only the solemnities and proprieties of dialogue amongst a racially heterogeneous society has delayed earlier exposure of his true colours.
These days his desperation over the prospect of losing his legal tangles with Anwar has loosened the shackles imposed by propriety.
Aaron should let the man be himself, a loose cannon that will sooner sink PN than shore it up. - FMT
Terence Netto is a senior journalist and an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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