Mahathir's dilemma in rebuilding Malaysia

Eighteen months ago, I asked some friends if they thought it would be possible to get rid of Umno-Baru/BN. They said, "No! Not in my lifetime."

Then, the impossible happened.

Now, they act like spoilt brats and demand instant reforms!

Today, when I ask them, "How about a non-Malay prime minister?" They roll their eyeballs and say, "No! Not in my lifetime."

Why not an answer like, "Yes. Why not?"

Have they already forgotten about GE14?

Do you recall Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's book, "The Malay Dilemma"? It is not an easy read, but in truth, Mahathir creates as many dilemmas for Malaysians as he postulated in his book.

During last weekend's Hari Raya Open House in London, at the residence of the new Malaysian High Commissioner to Britain, Mahathir attracted record crowds, and the caterers quickly ran out of food.

Someone said, "Like the others, I went for the free makan." 

There were long queues and back-up supplies were ordered from a fried chicken chain, which was owned by a Malaysian.

Although the Raya Open House provided opportunities for Malaysians to mix and mingle with fellow countrymen, one witness was shocked at the behaviour of the crowd: "We all surged forward to take selfies with Mahathir, the Youth Minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Marina Mahathir. I thought I spotted Vincent Tan. We didn't make new friends. There was no social interaction. We acted shamefully, similar to being in a reality television show."

Mahathir, who claimed to be surprised by the large numbers of Malaysians residing in London, said, "Dear Malaysians, come back and help us to rebuild Malaysia."

He needs gentle reminding. Rebuilding Malaysia cannot be achieved on the foundations of racial and religious rhetoric and affirmative action, which predominated before GE14. A house built on a foundation of sand lacks stability. It will lead to moral degradation and social decline.

Before rebuilding Malaysia can be contemplated, many major changes will have to be made. A house needs firm foundations to weather the many storms it may face.

At GE14, you voted for Mahathir, because no one, not even the prime minister-in-waiting, Anwar Ibrahim, was strong enough to oust disgraced Najib Abdul Razak. Only a sifu will know his protégé's weaknesses.

The prime minister-in-waiting is not ideal. Like most politicians, he reacts for the sake of three things: Votes. Power. Control.

No politician dares to ban affirmative action policies, despite the dominance of the Malays in positions of power, like the police, the army, the civil service, the major institutions and the government-linked companies (GLCs). 

If the Malays are not ready now, only the criminally stupid will think they will ever want to get rid of the NEP. Many of us saw the U-turns on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) and the Rome Statute as a betrayal.

So, are we back to square one? No! Not really. Most Malaysians are prepared to allow time for the reforms and promises made in the manifesto to take place, but they will not wait forever.

Mahathir must prosecute the people who are corrupt, be it his cronies, businessmen, or other state leaders, even if they have dirt on him. People like Taib Mahmud (above) became enormously rich at the expense of the people of Sarawak. He amassed an eye-watering fortune and invested the money in properties in overseas locations.

The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) needs to have its funding drastically reduced, and its many functions to be taken over by the respective ministries. For example, the halal food section should come under the control of the Health Ministry.

The tahfiz schools need to be shut down and their pupils absorbed into normal schools. We require Malaysians who can contribute to society and the nation.

During his first tenure as PM, Mahathir honed his skills on the use of religion and race to control the population. 

Successive generations of Malaysians have been indoctrinated to think Malays must be helped. Malays cannot be left behind. Malays need their crutches, otherwise, the economic and wealth disparity will cause violent repercussions. He mentioned this in his talk at the Cambridge Union (below).

This siege mentality that Mahathir helped to promote, has crippled our minds. Malays think they are inferior, while the non-Malays accept being second best.

If Malaysia was a sick person, with a dodgy heart which must be replaced for his survival, do you think the patient would ask the non-Malay cardiac surgeon to make way for a Malay dresser to perform the surgery?

The affirmative action indoctrination has severely impacted our ability to be critical. Many of us refuse to accept that anyone can replace Mahathir as PM. There are potential PMs, although they may not be Malay, Muslim or male.

Now, cast your mind back to 18 months ago, when you firmly believed that Umno-Baru could not be displaced from power.

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MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter. - Mkini