Since Mr. Barry Wain’s book “Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times” hit the streets in Malaysia, I have been waiting patiently for Dr Mahathir’s response. So today my favourite former PM came up with a sharp retort and I think the wait was worth it.
Dr. Mahathir even took very sharp jibes at certain politicians and I suspect he meant those residing on both sides of the Johor Causeway who uses the law to silence their critics. Vintage Dr. Mahathir killing two birds with one stone, a politician extraordinaire even in semi retirement.
Read the rest of Dr. Mahathir's post:
BARRY WAIN
By
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
on June 14, 2010 9:00 AM
1. After the forum held by the University of Malaya to discuss the book by Barry Wain entitled "Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times", during which I was condemned for all kinds of misdeeds, many have asked me to sue the author. In fact even before the book was allowed to be sold in Malaysia, many who took exception to Barry Wain's vilification of my stint as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, many, including the Press have asked me to sue the author.
2. My view is that a politician must accept all the opinions for or against him as normal. They go with the job.
3. I am leery of politicians who sue their critics. I suspect that what they want is to make the issue sub-judice so as to prevent the critics from attacking them on the issue. This is a cowardly move and in fact proves that the criticisms are fully justified.
4. A politician who is convinced of his own integrity and innocence should be able to fend off the attacks by proving that they have no basis in fact. It is up to the people, after hearing both sides to decide on the matter. Shutting the mouth of the critics by abusing the authority of the court of law is no better than Governments which censor or shut down papers which are critical of them. Those who resort to this trick to shut the mouths of their critics are in fact showing the kind of leader they would make if they come to power.
5. Malaysians should be discerning enough to recognise such politicians who are fond of accusing others of misdeeds but who are in fact already abusing whatever little power they may have at their disposal.
6. Barry Wain and his people can say what they like. The people in this country can decide whether it is just arrogance or whether their accusations are what they say they are. I will have my say if I think it necessary.
I think Dr. Mahathir is many things to different people, for those who hates him obviously they would blame him for anything under the sun and more. For those who love him, he is God's gift to Malaysia who against high odds took this once agro based ex colony of the British Empire screaming and kicking towards becoming a modern, industrial based, multiracial and multi religious nation which has become a success story for many developing economies around the world to emulate.
For me, Dr. Mahathir is my hero and role model, I do not need a Australian Mat Salleh former editor of the now defunct Asian Wall Street Journal (which never write anything good about Malaysia anyway) now residing in Dr Mahathir's arch political nemesis Lee Kuan Yew's city state island to tell me any different.
-Recommended additional read from Blogger GRK titled Wains's book Soros's letter
No comments:
Post a Comment