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Mahathir: An icon without an
icon
By Phar Kim Beng
HONG
KONG - The presence of Dr Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia
is ubiquitous. It extends far beyond the new
administrative capital of Putrajaya on the outskirts of
Kuala Lumpur, or even the Petronas Twin Towers, that
jut, so handsomely, into the open sky, both of which
were just two of Mahathir's many grand projects.
Having been at the helm for so long - more than
30 percent of Malaysians under the age of 22 have not
experienced life under any other prime minister aside
from the modern and autocratic rule of Mahathir - many
Malaysians born after 1981 must surely wonder if they
are not just losing a prime minister, but a paternal
figure too. The analogy is not a far stretch.
Even to those Malaysians born before 1981, who
had the privilege of experiencing leadership under three
other Malaysian premiers, the departure of Mahathir -
officially on October 31 - remains unique. Mahathir not
only changed the way the country saw itself, warts and
all, but how others reacted to it on an international
scale.
Indeed, the Malaysian psyche between
1981-2003 underwent a secular and progressive change:
the spirit of the country went from a laid-back
agriculturally focused one, where the main exports were
rubber, tin and palm oil, to one where semiconductors
and electronic gadgets have become the staple exports
for much of the past two decades.
Backed by a
spirit of Malaysia Boleh ("Malaysia Can"), a
jingoistic term that had Malaysians producing a
mind-boggling array of world-challenging feats that
often resulted in the longest lantern, satays and the
like, the catch-all phrase nevertheless had Malaysians
locked in a state of permanent high.
Yet what is
amazing about the reign of Mahathir, that is, given his
ingrained propensity to grandstand, indeed to thumb his
nose at the international community, is his discipline
not to have his name associated with any streets,
buildings or stadiums, as has been customary with
long-serving leaders.
There is no Mahathir
Mohamad Bridge, Mahathir Hall and not even a Mahathir
Boulevard. The one structure that has retained him name,
for sentimental reasons rather than anything else, is a
Maha clinic among his constituency in Kedah. Mahathir's
iconic presence, in other words, was literally achieved
without an icon.
Indeed, given the lack of any
obtuse Mahathir structures or symbols dotting the
Malaysian landscape, it is even more incredible that
Malaysians from all walks of life have, consciously or
otherwise, imbibed the values, beliefs and thinking of
Mahathir - even if they disagreed with his brand of
realist politics.
Those who claim to have
avoided this process of osmosis, which Mahathir
invariably put in place, as much due to deliberate
planning - such as Malaysian Inc and the Look East
policies - as it was due to his uncensored anti-Western
tirades, must only count in the handful.
The
fact is that it was nearly impossible to live in
Malaysia without thinking of, or at least vaguely
reflecting on, a speech, line or statement from Mahathir
himself; be it on domestic or foreign policy. And there
were plenty of issues during Mahathir's long tenure that
had many Malaysians thinking along the lines of the man
himself, albeit guided by the government press.
From controversy surrounding the privileges of
Malaysian royalty to fixed a currency, Malaysians in
general were buoyed, either by the nativist sentiments
of the day or the intentional pandering of the Malaysian
government, to support the government without fail. And
in return, Mahathir delivered.
Such was the
impact of Mahathir that Dr Khoo Teik Huat, an academic
at the Malaysian University of Science, referred to the
distilled wisdom and diatribes of the man as "the
paradoxes of Mahathirism".
Throughout Mahathir's
leadership, his impact redounded most obviously in the
roles that he himself donned, and played separately on
different stages.
As a modern bureaucrat,
however, Mahathir also introduced the concept of
punctuality, diligence and industry; with the man
himself putting in an average of 14 hours of work a day.
If anything, Malaysians constantly found themselves
scolded for their tardy work ethics.
When
speaking in foreign countries, Mahathir assumed the role
of a friendly Malaysian statesman, seeking to promote
the commercial profile of his country; with regard to
others in the region, especially Singapore, of whom
Mahathir reserved his utmost vituperatives, calling the
leaders of that country stingy when they refused to
reassess water rates.
In each of these roles,
Mahathir never confused himself with his expansive
script. Nor did he change his style. He led, scolded,
cajoled, sometimes even pleaded, with Malaysians to
follow his brand of nationalism.
In this concept
of nationalism, Malaysians, Muslims and non-Muslims
alike, were asked to pull their weight to help the
country reach industrialized status by 2020, with an
average gross domestic product growth of 7.5 percent.
During the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98
when Malaysia could not meet this target, Mahathir
channeled his scorn at currency traders and speculators
- especially George Soros, whom he bluntly called a
"moron from moronia" - for destabilizing the country and
the region at large.
Though his tirades on the
leading captains of capitalism were fierce and
uncompromising, Mahathir set his aim on one thing: To
help Malaysia gain a firm footing in a world that was
already turning capitalist due to the advent of
globalization.
(Copyright 2003 Asia Times Online
Co, Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact content@atimes.com for information
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