Dr M - wise old man or POISON MOUTH?

Tun Dr. Mahathir is again driving the netizens up the wall as observed from the overwhelming responses from the readers of his blog. Seriously, what exactly is wrong with this man?

His recent posting about democracy deserves an urgent schooling for the Tun whose thinking is certainly getting into a deep freeze mode. [Click I AM RIGHT ! Democracy is not a sure cure - Dr M ]

Here are the point-by-point rebuttals for the Tun’s reflection. (And if readers feel the counter-arguments are unsound, please feel free to correct accordingly so that Tun does not get stuck even more deeper into his gutter-politics.

Tun Dr. M: The essence of democracy is a willingness to accept losing, but it is not a cure for the political ailments of a country.

Rebuttal: Yes, the essence of democracy is the willingness to accept losing but you are emphasizing on the “losing” when you should not forget it is the very “essence of democracy” that is the determinant for winning and losing. So, was there democracy in BN-UMNO’s winning, honest to God?

Tun Dr. M: The United States and Western countries insist on imposing democracy on all the countries of the world. To achieve this, the West is willing to kill hundreds of thousands of people, the very people they claim would benefit from democracy.

Rebuttal: US is killing citizens of nations, really? Well, if you are adamant in making this allegation, why do you not go the distance to file charges against the US then? Surely you have enough sympathizers and friends from rogue nations to paddle this wicked story, no?

Tun Dr. M: But democracy as a system of government is concocted by mere man. And mere man cannot be free from making mistakes. It is not surprising, therefore, that democracy even in the mature countries has caused more anarchy than the stability and peace every citizen of every country yearns for. And moral values have collapsed completely.

Rebuttal: “Moral values have collapsed completely”? Really? So there are no rapes, no corruption, no amassing of wealth for personal gains, no brutal blows to individuals almost making a helpless man blind in the eye; no deceit; no trumped-up charges against anyone who appears a challenger – in regimes that do not subscribe to democracy? Wow! What a fool the world is for embracing democracy then?

Tun Dr. M: We are at the moment witnessing the disasters that have befallen several countries which have opted for democracy to replace authoritarian rule.

Rebuttal: Perhaps you should have offered your services to these countries and saved them from all these perils. But how come no one is listening to you then?

Tun Dr. M: In Egypt, the crowds gathered in Tahrir Square to overthrow the democratically elected government are bigger than the crowd which forced the overthrow of the dictatorial government of Hosni Mubarak. Demonstrations are allowed in the democratic system. It is almost sacred. But demonstrations, however big and frequent, cannot replace elections by the people to determine who should rule a country.

Rebuttal: Thank you for your simplistic perspective. You certainly are feeding your listeners with flawed mistruths. But for syllogisms sake – as you have proven time and time again that it is your preferred cup-of-tea, let us say there is truth in what you are making out. Then the question that is begging an answer is, do you not recognize that it is not in the numbers or the frequency of public protests that delivers democracy. On the contrary, it is about the will of the people since time immemorial that has delivered justice to all through democratic expressions?

Tun Dr. M: If it is allowed to install governments, then the ordinary person's right to vote into power a government of his choice would be denied. Effectively, it is the activist minority which will elect governments in democracies. Where is rule by the majority as we are assured?

Rebuttal: Stop looking across the many oceans. What have you got to say about a party that forms the government after securing the minority votes at the polls? You forget that BN-UMNO garnered 47% while the Opposition was denied the right to form the government even though they netted 51% o popular votes. You would call that a democratically installed government?

Tun Dr. M: There is no guarantee that the new elected government will not be subjected to the same pressures that forced the previous government out of power.

Rebuttal: So we should have one political party forever lah Tun! No need to keep changing. What kind of logic is this that you are marketing, please!

Tun Dr. M: The losing parties in the new election can and will mount the same massive demonstrations to bring down the government. It would be a kind of musical chairs. The whole charade can be repeated over and over again.

Demonstrators, who forced governments to resign, are usually not from the same party. They are not united. Everyone and every party unhappy with the election result would join forces merely to bring down the government.

After the government is brought down, then the organisers of the demonstrations would not agree as to who should form the new government. If an election were held, the many parties would elect their own candidates and parties. Usually no party will gain a required majority and the strength to form the government. There would only be a weak minority government or a weak coalition government.

Rebuttal: Wonder who you are preaching to? Pity your subscribing audience. Certainly you are of that mindset that people are not capable of thinking and acting right. Your consistent nightmares about losing to an Opposition political party has really made you very desperate has it not? You heard about the story of desperate men in desperate times? You see Tun, you forget world history.

God forbid what the world would be like today if men and women had the chance to hear you in the times of Stalin, Hitler and Chairman Mao.

Tun Dr. M: Even a mature democracy like Britain cannot set up a strong one-party government because with three parties contesting, none obtained a majority. The Conservatives, with the biggest number of seats, have to invite the small Liberal Democratic Party to achieve a majority.

But the two parties had condemned each other during the election. Their objectives are different. The parties find themselves taking different stands on many major issues. Their government becomes ineffective.

Rebuttal: Stop condemning the Brits too. You certainly are reminiscing those hey days of your prime youth when you were said to nail anti-British slogans on Angsana tress in the street and disappear by sunrise. Perhaps you should instead now do two things first. One, stop your blessed successor Najib from running to London on official visits so frequently. Second, stop your cronies from buying up stocks and properties in London lah.

Tun Dr. M: A multiparty country can have a good effective government only if the winning party gains absolute majority and forms the government. In Malaysia, there is a multiparty system. But here, 13 parties have decided to form a pre-election coalition, where all the member parties agree to support only one candidate for each constituency. With the members and supporters of 13 parties giving their votes to the coalition candidates, victory is almost certain.

Now the opposition parties are trying to do the same. But their policies and objectives are so different that they have difficulty voting for their coalition candidate. It is not surprising that they lost.

Rebuttal: Please stop taking Malaysians for suckers. There is a difference that you selectively deny. What it actually means is you are subscribing to gerrymandering. That is undemocratic, you get it Tun?

Tun Dr. M: The essence of democracy is the willingness to accept losing. But in most new democracies, there is an unwillingness to accept losing. And so the losers demonstrate and try to bring down the government. And the government will be occupied trying to stay in power instead of attending to the needs of the country.

Rebuttal: Please keep your Aristotelian argument tightly locked inside your bosom. We are living in a different time zone, a truly liberating world where the man in the street is a keen participant in the future course-charting. Your veiled threats that BN-UMNO will not accept defeat and will create havoc in this nation will not deter the people from returning to King and country what belongs to all humanity.

Tun Dr. M: Democracy is not a sure cure for the political ailments of a country. It works best only if people are prepared to lose elections as much as win elections. And it is much more likely to provide good governments if there are only two parties contesting.

Rebuttal: There is so much to say on this matter. But knowing too well you will be up to your flawed antics pretty soon, we will save it for another day. But for now, you need to be told that it is not the number of parties that makes a nation great nor is it about winning and losing elections. It is about sound, fair, clean and morally upright dispositions that make the difference. And democracy is about restoring those virtues into society even before we can talk about elections.

Tun Dr. M: Now Egyptian crowds have overthrown an elected government. I doubt a new government will be elected which will be allowed to govern by the losers.

Rebuttal: Go to Egypt and preach to the Egyptians. We Malaysians need to get our own house in order first. And please stop frightening your audience using the Egyptian saga as a pawn for your agenda.

MAILBAG