What Marina is learning on the hustings

Marina Mahathir’s father may have been prime minister, but GE14 is the first time she is involved in politics and hitting the campaign trail, an exhausting prospect littered with ceramahs and rallies.

Malaysiakini catches up with her to find out what this political neophyte has learned after five days of campaigning… after she had had a few sips of strong, long black for caffeine to kick start her brain – in a few hours, a couple of rallies in Klang.

Malaysiakini: So how has it been?

Marina: (laughs) What day is today? I have to keep reminding, asking myself what day it is.

The crowded days beginning to merge?

Ya, and my schedule is very light compared to… when we are exhausted, we say, never mind, just 10 more days, nine… 

Do you have a set of issues you get into or you vary it depending on the audience?

Partly depending on the audience, but there is a template which I am developing as I go along – I only started on Saturday (April 28, nomination day) okay?!

A lot of it is to do with my dad. That he is 92, he should be at home playing with his grandchildren

Now he is out there after 15 years of retirement, he is campaigning again.

Do you know he has 18 grandchildren, and everyone hoes “Aaawww.” They love these personal tidbits.

Then depending on the area, you talk about issues more relevant to them. GST comes up a lot.

1MDB?

1MDB? Ya, but I do not go into too much detail. Because I am not a politician, I try not to sound like a politician.

I just appeal to the people to do the right thing. Do you want these people to go on? Then talk about all the ridiculous hurdles they put in the way, like Tian Chua, etc.

I don’t know how many are already convinced, how many are there just to listen. So you talk, you get feedback, responses.

Why the involvement now and not earlier? You never had any inclination to be involved in politics, or you wanted to strike your own path beyond the shadow of your dad?

I was not… I am not sure why… partly because he didn’t ask me. I didn’t feel needed.

Now I regret it because of the missed experience. 

Also to have a comparison with now. Obviously now, I am seeing it from a different point of view.  I have no idea what it’s like to campaign on the government’s side.

Talking about the old days, my brother Mokhzani asked: “Do you remember the nomination days?” He remembers when he went along when he was six years old. I have no recollection.

GE13 I did go to a few rallies, but I made it clear it was not an endorsement of anyone. I went to friends on both sides. I went to see Saifuddin (Abdullah) in Temerloh and Dr Zul (Dzulkefly Ahmad) in Kuala Selangor.

Both lost (laughs.) They joked and said I was the jinx, so I should go to Pekan next time.

Surely it’s not just for the experience. How much of the current prime minister is motivating you?

A lot. I feel I have to do my part.

What seems to me is that people who are still supportive of the PM are hiding the fact, unlike us. It used to be the other way round. Now we are much prouder to be out.

Does it affect you, all the sniping at your dad? Your dad by now must have a skin as thick as…

He is cool. You tell him today so-and-so said this and did this. He does his trademark curling of the lips. (Marina illustrates, laughs.) He doesn’t get upset.

I don’t get upset. Sometimes I think, there are moles inside the BN camp in their strategic team because everything they do is helping our side.

They can’t think straight - like the cutting out of the picture. I thought (Liew) Chin Tong was smart. He said, I don’t agree with you, but you do what you have to do, because he knew the sight of that hole… (laughs.)

A friend was at Seri Perdana recently…

…in Federal Hill, where I got married.

He said it’s a neglected ruin.

Look, when they moved to Putrajaya, he said sell it, it’s valuable land. He isn’t the museum type. They were the ones who went, oh no no no, we must have a museum.

(Marina is distracted by three young men in light blue work jackets in the café to re-programme a wonky billing system.)

(Laughing, explaining the distraction) Nowadays I am more aware of colours. When I go out, what do I wear, do I have anything else light blue, cannot wear dark blue.

Tonight I am going to Klang, so can wear T-shirt and jeans. Going to Taman Medan with Maria (Chin), I will have to wear baju kurung.

Have you encountered any aggro from the other side?

No. The most was on Monday night. We were in Johor – Batu Enam, Segamat, Tangkak.

In Segamat, the rally was held on private land. Apparently, the local council wouldn’t allow it, but the owner said it was his land, he could do what he liked.

So BN had a carnival round the periphery – stalls, a stage. When I started speaking, someone started singing. (Marina laughs.) It was funny. I laughed and carried on. It wasn’t very loud, but it was distracting.

I have been impressed by the enthusiasm of people. They invited Ambiga (Sreenevasan) and asked if she could get me to go too.

We did a relay. We met in Gemas. There was a crowd of Bersih people, all dressed in yellow, with flags. We went to Batu Enam. She started and when she was finished she was off to the next one while I went on.

When I arrived in Segamat, she was still speaking, but the crowd announced my entrance, shouting Bersih, Bersih, interrupting Ambiga. I was sheepishly saying, Sorry, sorry. They meant well.

My scheduler, Chao, said I should start by saying “da jia hao” (Chinese ritualistic greeting, “Everybody good?”). Okay (dubious tone). I’m nervous about tonal languages, scared I will say the wrong thing.

I went up and said (softly) “da jia hou.” They went… (Marina illustrates with voice and gesture a crowd in enthusiastic response.) If you try, they love it.

My dad was so amazed when we talked about our experiences. He said: people come to the ceramahs and then they donate money. They pay to listen to us, not the other way round.

I said, that’s because you have only seen the other side.

The thing that needs to be pointed out, that I keep telling people – you have the power, you can change things.

After this, are we going to see Marina Mahathir as a candidate for GE15?

I don’t even want to think of May 10. I am trying not to think, but I keep thinking, what if we win, what if we don’t win.

I dare not think about May 10. I can’t imagine… normally after polling day, ya, okay (in a flat tone suggesting lack of surprise), but this one is different… if we win, I want to be there, there will be many of us who will be there crying with joy, but if we don’t win because of the shifting (of electoral boundaries), then what?

It’s scary to lose. Some say: never mind. Next time.

What? You want to put up with this for five more years?

It’s not just one man. We’ve got to get all of them out. Otherwise, the system will perpetuate itself. They are all complicit.

(Tip for disconsolate Bruno Mars fans who couldn’t get tickets: Marina has three tickets for seats close to the stage which she cannot use. Instead of jumping and bopping to the infectious beat of Bruno, she wants, with a tinge of regret, to be in another venue that night dancing to a different tune with a happy majority of Malaysians.)

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THOR KAH HOONG is a veteran journalist. -Mkini