Of Dr M, his ex-aide and politicking in the Senate

So, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called his former political secretary, Zahid Md Arif, the "biggest liar in Malaysian politics".

Many of us had expected Mahathir to return fire at his ex-aide for the latter's speech in the Dewan Negara which had greatly displeased the former prime minister.

What we did not expect was the stinging salvo – unnecessary perhaps – because Zahid is only an ordinary politician, way below the status of our grand old man. A prime minister could have easily brushed aside the likes of Zahid like an irrelevant, nosey irritant.

In the animal kingdom, the lion king would not bother with the little ant, even if the insect had been mischievous and got on his nerves.

Understandably, Mahathir was fuming mad. Who wouldn't if you were the target of such ambiguous and nasty allegations and you were not there to defend yourself.

Whether Zahid (photo) was telling the truth or lying is another matter. Being Mahathir, the former premier will always find a way of having his voice heard.

I believe we are glad that Mahathir had spilt the beans on Zahid as we can be a better judge of the man's character, including his credibility and integrity as a member of the august Senate.

What did Zahid actually say that had upset his former boss?

Last Monday, Zahid told the Dewan Negara that Mahathir's purported goals were to prevent Anwar from becoming prime minister and block DAP's advance in national politics.

"Whatever it is, I am sure Mahathir is the happiest person now.

"It is just that he does not express that joy. His goals of stopping Anwar from replacing him and to curb DAP's advance have been successful," he added.

First thing first. Why is a senator politicking in the Upper House? Isn't it clear that Zahid had made use of his allotted time in the Senate to lash out at Mahathir? Possibly out of revenge, as we can now speculate following Mahathir's response to the remarks from his former aide.

I concede I have shown little interest in the Dewan Negara proceedings even though I have been in and out of Parliament countless times over the years.

That the Senate has often been described as a "rubber stamp" is also why not many pay attention to what goes on there.

Wikipedia notes that "the original constitution of the Dewan Negara, which provided for a majority of state-elected senators, has since been modified to make the vast majority of senators instead appointed by the King, thus theoretically providing an avenue for sombre, relatively non-partisan reconsideration of bills".

In the past, there were calls for the election of senators, but subsequent prime ministers never possessed the political will to see it through.

What do we see today? A senatorship becomes a political reward for a coterie of supporters from the prime minister or the parties and coalition in power. At times, it becomes a convenient avenue to appoint someone who is not an elected member of Parliament into the cabinet.

The Dewan Negara was supposed to be reserved for those who have "rendered distinguished public service or have achieved distinction in the professions, commerce, industry, agriculture, cultural activities or social service".

According to former lord president Mohamed Suffian Mohamed Hashim, subsequent amendments have acted "contrary to the spirit of the original constitution which established the Dewan Negara specially as a body to protect in the federal Parliament, state interests against federal encroachments".

Such concerns from the late Suffian must have lent weight to the perception that the Senate has regressed instead of progressed over the past six decades of our independence.

I recall there was a tycoon from Sarawak who was once listed among Malaysia's top ten wealthiest being appointed a senator in years gone by. He never wanted the job but was requested by his party to take it because of his social status.

The man never had the time to perform his Senate duties effectively as he had a global business empire to run. Was he glad that his three-year term soon came to an end?

Today, many are waiting in line to be senators, more as a political reward than for their ability to perform the tasks and fulfil the responsibilities expected of them as "Ahli Dewan Negara".

And when you have a senator like Zahid who was clearly "rewarded" by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, making use of his time in the Senate for politicking, the dignity and image of the august Chambers have been sullied.

Why? As Mahathir fired back: "Zahid had wanted to change the government because he was allegedly facing some problems.

"I refused to bend the rules to help Zahid, so he became upset with me.

"He tried to use me for his interest because he has problems. I could not help him. I said that in Malaysia, we have to go according to the law", Mahathir added.

Surely, we can understand how upset Zahid must be when he was paraded in MACC orange attire during the court case involving Felda chairperson Isa Samad.

As a senator, Zahid probably thought he has the status and standing now to hit back at his former boss in the Dewan Negara.

I wonder what new Senate President Rais Yatim, a known suave and savvy political leader, has to say about this Zahid episode.

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FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is the author of 'Hijack in Malaysia: The Fall of Pakatan Harapan' which was recently launched. The book retails at RM42. Email sirsiah@gmail.com to order. - Mkini

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.