Over 50,000 want Dr M for Nobel prize, but rights group not amused

The petition alludes to Mahathir's commitment to transparency, democracy and rule of law following his recent electoral victory.

PETALING JAYA: It’s the season of online voting in Malaysia, but a new petition to nominate newly installed Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize is set to raise eyebrows among seasoned activists who have long accused him of human rights violations during his 22-year rule decades ago.

The petition reached a target of 50,000 signatures at press time tonight, with the new target now set to 75,000, and likely to expand further.

“Tun Dr Mahathir focused on the importance of transparency, democracy and rule of law for Malaysia. The fact that Tun Dr Mahathir has also openly admitted his own faults and apologised for his mistakes of the past makes him truly a ‘Giant of a Man’ and a leader to emulate,” says the petition.

But Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram), among the pioneer rights groups in the country, questioned Mahathir’s qualifications for the Nobel prize.

Its spokesman Chew Chuan Yang said Mahathir’s electoral success and making peace with his former enemies could not erase past mistakes of compromising state institutions during the two decades of his rule.

“He unseated former prime minister Najib Razak and BN, sure. But that doesn’t change the fact that the institution was compromised by him,” he told FMT, adding that Mahathir was now “repairing a system damaged by the man himself”.

“If there’s going to be a peace prize, it should be the people who have struggled half their lives, if not their whole lives, to challenge an autocratic government. Even Pakatan Harapan de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim deserves it more as a symbol of his Reformasi movement,” he said.

Another rights group, Lawyers For Liberty, refused to comment.

Mahathir, 93, led Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) charge at the recent polls, ending more than six decades of rule by Barisan Nasional (BN).

Just days earlier, PH supporters dwarfed online protests over the appointment of a former lecturer as the education minister, when a petition on change.org gathered over 170,000 signatures in support of Maszlee Malik.

The latest petition among others paid tribute to Mahathir for “his determination at age 93 to return to politics”.

“Casting aside his own political prejudices standing shoulder to shoulder with the opposition parties and leaders such as Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Mohamad Sabu and others to save our nation. Tun Dr. Mahathir focused on the importance of transparency, democracy and rule of law for Malaysia,” it added. -FMT