Dr M: Malaysia Boleh! With cash

 

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad continued to lament the “Cash is King” culture and sarcastically suggested that even a price could be put on the country.

“If there is cash, everything boleh (can). Malaysia boleh. Boleh what? Boleh do anything as long as there is cash - including robbing,” said in a cynical blog post.

Mahathir popularised the “Cash is King” phrase in 2015, after he claimed that the then prime minister (Najib Abdul Razak) used that motto as justification for cash handouts by the government.

He had used the phrase to highlight his frustration at what he sees as a lack of integrity in Malaysian society.

"Malaysia Boleh" was a slogan Mahathir introduced during his first stint as prime minister from 1981 to 2003. He also served as prime minister from 2018 to 2020.

In his latest blog post, Mahathir noted that Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador had complained that his own officers had been in cahoots with criminals.

Hamid had called them “traitors” after they purportedly tipped off an alleged underworld gang about an impending police raid.

Mahathir said this, too, was a result of the “Cash is King” culture.

“Not enough cash? Use the power granted by the people who have been given cash to set up a company, borrow and then steal to save oneself and win the election,” he said in an apparent reference to the 1MDB scandal and Najib.

He sarcastically suggested that losing one’s country or dignity did not matter.

“I’m now a millionaire. What if someone said the country could be sold? How much? Right price - pay in cash, tax-free, okay,” he said.

Mahathir resigned as the prime minister in February last year after his own party Bersatu rebelled against him.

He has since set up a splinter party called Parti Pejuang Tanahair, but is struggling to get it registered. - Mkini