Written by Wong Choon Mei, PoliticsNow Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - Lesser mortals might choose to nurse their health or spend their remaining time with their families, but not Malaysia's grand old man Mahathir Mohamad.
Already this month itself, two his greatest allies - billionaire Ananda Krishnan and former finance minister Daim Zainuddin - have passed on but for 99-year-old Mahathir, it's business as usual.
"The oldest living former Malaysian prime minister has once again provoked the nation of 34 million where the complex relationship between race and religion has always been a sensitive issue," wrote the Finance Twitter in a comment on the legendary leader's latest racism-tinged outburst.
Indeed, Mahathir is no stranger to accusations his political power base was built and founded on a race-championing strategy that fanned the sentiments and fears of Malays, the predominant electorate in the country, against the minorities in the country - especially the Malaysian Chinese and Indians.
"The other day I dropped in one of the new shopping malls. It is great. But suddenly I felt I was in China. Then I realized why. All the signboards are in Chinese with English translations. Nothing in Malay...But our national language is Malay... Not at all. So is this Malaysia. Or have we become a part of China," Mahathir posted on Facebook and even published pictures he personally took of the signs that had offended him.
Yet the premium bakery business that Mahathir opened in one these upmarket malls after retiring from his first stint as prime minister in 2003, The Loaf, carried only signs in the English language. The 'fancy' or artisan bakery, the first of its kind in the country, was eventually closed down due to insufficient business to cover its high-cost operations.
"Actually, The Loaf was worse as it had zero Malay, Jawi, Arabic, Tamil or Chinese translation. Does that mean racist Mahathir was pro-colonialism even after 60 years of independence from the British Empire? Using his argument, Malaysia must have become part of the United Kingdom due to the absence of the national language from the display boards of The Loaf," wrote the Finance Twitter report.
"The simple fact that Mahathir deliberately and specifically attacked the signboards of Chinese shops emblazoned with Chinese characters, but hypocritically kept quiet over signboards in English, Japanese, Korean or even Arabic speaks volumes about his agenda, double standards and hatred of Chinese success in businesses. In truth, besides jealousy, the old man was trying to sabotage Anwar government," the report suggested.
"And the Anwar administration foolishly swallowed the hook, line and sinker. Kuala Lumpur City Hall which is under the purview of the Federal Territories Minister Zaliha Mustafa, who hails from Anwar’s PKR party - blindly jumped into the trap, clamping down on Chinese signboards in the capital city, much to the delight of Mahathir," the report added.
INABILITY TO DIFFERENTIATE BUSINESS FROM RACE & RACE FROM PATRIOTISM THE SURE FIRE WAY TO POVERTY & A FAILED-STATE IMAGE
Whatever Mahathir's motives, according to the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Restaurant Association, the crackdown has affected 15,000 restaurants operated by Chinese nationals in Malaysia. Since 2004, such Chinese restaurants have mushroomed from a mere 10 to 15,000 now, which is nearly a thousand-fold increase in 20 years – creating 100,000 jobs in Malaysia, and promoting cultural exchange as well as encouraging tourism.
Needless to say, the Chinese businesses are hopping mad at the high-handed action by the Anwar regime as the crackdown has raised their costs and interrupted their sales. Yet Mahathir is not really on their radar as he is out of power and thus, perceived as a mere troublemaker.
"Of course it's Mahathir's fault for racializing the issue. He could have made a complaint that the rules are not being followed but he choose to use words to rally Malay sentiment and xenophobia," a pundit told PoliticsNow Malaysia.
"So you have the Malay political parties like Umno and Anwar's PKR falling all over their feet to show who is more Malay than the other. But the joke is that even during the rule of Muhyiddin's Malay unity-government which included the Muslim-centric Pas, the authorities didn't bother because this was never about Malaysia becoming Little China. It's just pragmatic business sense. As though Mahathir doesn't know this. Even if he is too old or maybe a bit senile, Anwar should know better. Just tell these shops to put up a non-halal sign and that should suffice. Malays won't go there but if all signs have to be changed to Malay, how are Chinese tourists or other Mandarin-speaking visitors going to find food and beverage? If they can't, why should they come here whether as tourists or as investors?"
USE EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP TO STEER MALAYS FROM RACIST THINKING
Perhaps that's the crux of Malaysia's problems. Politicians using race and religion to fuel their own rise as and when it's convenient to them. This has given Malaysia a toxic dual image as being among the most corrupt and racist countries in the region - and no amount of glitzy infrastructure can salvage its economy if the Anwar administration is not able to rise above the pettiness and reform such mentality with education and leadership.
"Actually Anwar and the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition did promise such reforms. They used to shout about how racism and religious extremism were being used to hide corruption - but look at how they are adding pepper and salt and making the situation even worse," the pundit continued.
"Instead of seizing the opportunity to point out to the Malays how Mahathir used to nurture non-Malay billionaire cronies such as the late Ananda Krihnan and Vincent Tan when it suited him and then scolding the Malays for being lazy and weak when they complained, Anwar and Pakatan should reinforce the message of how important it is to be professional and fair. These are the qualities that are clearly lacking in Malaysia's overall culture and it puts off serious investors who look for long-term thinking and political stability. If nothing is done to correct the situation, it will eventually also put the country on the last-to-visit list as far as tourists are concerned."
Written by Wong Choon Mei, PoliticsNow Malaysia
https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com/
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