Zaid: I’ll stay put in Langkawi for next three weeks

GE14 | Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has declared he will be staying put in Langkawi for the next three weeks to bear witness to Dr Mahathir’s historic election bid in the island, and to see “if there is such a thing as gratitude in the annals of Malaysian politics.”

In his blog post today, he said he had spent a few days in Langkawi last week, chatting with the locals, in the hope of getting a sense of what will happen to 92-year-old Mahathir after the May 9 polls.

In what he deemed “sentimental musings of an old man”, Zaid said the world of the Malays have changed, and while they still spout the legend of Mahsuri and boasts about the island’s age-old rainforests, they no longer plant padi nor care much about culture, only the afterlife.

Yet when it came to Mahathir, what he found was a very grateful populace who remembered still the latter’s contributions during his 22-year tenure as prime minister, from 1981 to 2003.

“Many spoke fondly of his (Mahathir) time as prime minister and the many things he did for Langkawi. A middle-aged lady almost cried when she spoke about those who will not vote for Tun at the coming polls, and described them as ungrateful Malays.

“Mahathir is the person many people talk about nowadays, and judging by the massive crowd that assembled at the rally at Padang Mat Sirat where he spoke on Sunday, he has a good chance of winning in this constituency,” Zaid blogged.

He said younger Malays, however, were less interested in the topic of Mahathir’s candidacy, having “no interests in politics.”

These young Malays, he said, worked mainly transporting tourists for island-hopping activities, “...but they do not participate in the high-end tourism business because they have no capital, speak no English or Mandarin, and have no special skills to serve tourists in five-star locations,” he said.

Zaid claimed too, that Mahathir would be able to help the Indian youths on the island who lament the lack of job opportunities as government departments and local authorities mainly employed Malays.

He said: “I told them that perhaps if Mahathir became prime minister again, he would be able to give them a different kind of help, in the form of training. He would also be able to get government departments and agencies to employ more Indians. Maybe they just have to help him first and hopefully, things will change.

“Whatever the outcome, it’s going to be a historic polling day on May 9, and that’s why I have decided to remain in Langkawi for the next three weeks.

“I want to be a participant and a witness to this moment in history, and see for myself if there is such a thing as gratitude in the annals of Malaysian politics.”

Mahathir has indeed been the topic of much talk, especially since it was revealed he would be running for the Langkawi parliamentary seat. 

Should he win, and if the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition win the mandate of the people in the coming general election, Mahathir would stand to make a historic comeback as the nation’s prime minister, 15 years after stepping down from the top post amidst much contention.

Mahathir, who is Harapan chairperson, was named the coalition’s prime ministerial candidate last January.   Mkini