Dr Mahathir and Najib’s Dilemma?

Dr Mahathir and Najib’s Dilemma

Friday March 11, 2011

Dr M and the new dilemma

By JUNE H.L. WONG

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

The second and final part of excerpts from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s instant best-seller – more than 10,000 copies sold since its launch – reveals his views and feelings on some key people and events.

PETALING JAYA: When he was Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was exciting to interview. He almost always had an opinion on everything – which made great copy and headlines.

That still holds true with his autobiography, A Doctor in the House, as the following excerpts show.

> I am a Malay and proud of it. There are many reasons why I state this so strongly and boldly.

Stereotypes will always persist, even in the most progressive and educated societies. But a good leader does not let them go unchallenged. Every time when, as Prime Minister, I made a mistake or an unpopular decision, people were ready with their “dim-witted Malay” slurs. But when I made good decisions, it was always because I had Indian blood. I wanted to prove otherwise: that Malays were more than capable of thinking, progressing and leading. – Chapter 3: I Am A Malay

> Most Malays have come to think that the affirmative action instituted by the Government in the NEP is a recognition of their “superior” position as the indigenous people of this country. This is the new Malay dilemma. Do we take the bull by the horns and tell (the) Malays the truth, or do we refrain for fear of losing their political support?

Now, what we appear to have is a new culture of indigenous entitlement. Far from supporting professional Malay capabilities and competitiveness, it dampens the desire to strive. – from Chapter 18: The Malay Dilemma

> It is bizarre that many Malays seem to think that Malay reserve land is a recognition of their being “masters” of the country. This is disgraceful. The Native Americans of the US do live on reserves but no one regards it as a privilege. Indeed, it is an open acknowledgement on how they cannot compete with other Americans.

The Malay Reserve Laws should be nothing more than an interim mea¬sure, and at best, temporary crutches. – Chapter 20: Into the Deep End

Life account: Dr Mahathir at the launch of his autobiography at Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

> Lee (Kuan Yew) and I had a civil relationship, but it was never a friendship. In the period until Singapore left Malaysia in 1965, I had numerous brushes with him in the Dewan Rakyat. His demeanour usually seemed condescending and he appeared to want to deliver lectures to the House on what it and Government should do. I listened carefully at first, but I got tired of his style of delivery. He adopted the didactic tone of a know-all schoolmaster, telling us all what we should do and pointing out all the “mistakes” we were making. – Chapter 14: The Bitter Thrill of Politics

> Talking to Lee Kuan Yew was a one-sided affair. His style of conversation, like his manner of addressing the Malaysian Parliament when he was a member, was to lecture his listeners about what was right and what was wrong. But during our discussion, I came to realise that he did not know all that much, especially on technological matters. I remember one occasion when he mentioned that he had just come across a new process of desalination. But it was not new at all and had been used generally for years.

Our relationship then was proper, professionally appropriate for political opponents, but never very friendly. Still, as Prime Minister, I worked hard at trying to resolve our various problems with Singapore but found them unresponsive. – Chapter 32: Realigning Malaysia in the World

> On the eve of my operation (a bypass following a heart attack in January 1989), a phone call came from Lee Kuan Yew. He was very concerned. He asked (Tun Siti) Hasmah to persuade me to postpone the operation because he had a medical team ready to fly to Kuala Lumpur, with the well-known cardiac surgeon Dr Victor Chang, a Singaporean living in Australia, to do the surgery. But Hasmah said I had already made up my mind (to have the bypass done by Malaysian doctors). She thanked him.

Apparently, Lee also contacted Tun Daim Zainuddin to ask him to intercede. Despite our many differences throughout the years, I appreciated Lee’s concern. – Chapter 43: Matters of the Heart

> The Europeans made the bizarre decision not to provide arms to the Bosnians (during the Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict in the 1990s) on the grounds that, should the Bosnians be able to defend themselves, more people would be killed. Apparently it was better if only Bosnians were killed. This, we thought, was morally wrong. So we decided to provide them with some light weapons.

That may have contravened United Nations orders but at this point, the Bosnians had no means to defend themselves. Other Muslim countries also provided aid, but to this day Bosnians still think that Malaysia was the country that helped them the most. – Chapter 32: Realigning Malaysia in the World

> Soon after I retired, I was to disagree with the way the (International Trade and Industry) Ministry was giving out APs (Approved Permits) to those I suspected were not conducting legitimate car businesses. This led to a falling out between me and the then Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.

In all fairness, she was very good at what she did and was promoted to the post precisely because of her ability to perform. But she was intole¬rant of criticism, and unlike most Malays, not afraid of being blunt. During Cabinet meetings, nobody dared to criticise her because they were wary of the heated arguments that would invariably follow. (Her) retort was always to point out how much worse you yourself were. It was all very unpleasant.

For my part, I kept her in the Cabinet because she was an able negotiator and wasn’t afraid of anybody. Because of this, she was able to obtain favourable terms for Malaysia in many trade agreements. Not without reason did those on the international trade scene call her “Rapid Fire Rafidah”. – Chapter 23: From Education to International Trade and Industry

> (As Education Minister) I was very much involved in getting Malay to be used as the main medium of instruction in schools. I believed that a common language can contribute to nation-building, a sense of identity and unity among people of all races. But when we switched to Malay, most Malays came to think very misguidedly that English was irrelevant. These days, most of our Malay-educated graduates cannot speak or write even a simple sentence in clear, correct English. – Chapter 21: Up the Political Ladder

> I have come in for a lot of condemnation by Malay language nationalists and there were many calling for Science and Mathematics to be taught in Malay again. The Government resisted, acceding to that political pressure for a time but on 8 July, 2009, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced the Cabinet decision to revert to teaching the subjects in Bahasa Malaysia in 2012. I believe this is a mistake.

Apart from the employability of the graduates, there is also the problem of bringing schoolchildren of different races together. Ever since the English-language schools were converted to National Schools, most Chinese and Indian students ceased to mix with Malay students. Public universities draw students from all the communities, but on the campus they do not integrate. The Islamic Studies faculties have discouraged Malays from mixing with non-Malays in the hostels, suggesting that contact or even close proximity with non-Muslims is polluting.

Malaysians cannot live within their racial compartments. In a multi-racial society, it is important that they become familiar with one another while still young. If the schools cannot do this, then our universities should. If they don’t, then it will never happen. – Chapter 58: Education

> Lawyers and the foreign Press regarded the removal of (the five Supreme Court) judges as proof that I had undermined the independence of the Judiciary. However, the removals were done in the manner prescribed by the Constitution.

Because I view certain actions by certain lawyers (particularly those involved in politics) with some animosity, people often assume that what I have done in public life that touched on legal issues has been motivated to get back at the legal community. The trouble with this view is that it simply happens to be wrong.

I have criticised doctors, even though I am one. My criticism of the Malays is well-known. It does not mean I hate them. I always believe that when something is done which is wrong, someone needs to tell the person concerned. – Chapter 42: The Judiciary

> Anwar is an undeniably charismatic man and he knows how to get people to support him. All that I had done for Anwar in the past has been brushed aside. I was seen as having victimised him and throwing him in jail, as if there were no trial. Whenever my name is mentioned in a book or article, I am described as the Prime Minister who threw his deputy into jail. The fact that he was properly charged and tried in court is never mentioned.

I am a forgiving person by nature, and I rehabilitated the careers of many people who tried to undermine me politically. I even named one of them as my successor after Anwar was sacked as Deputy Prime Minister.

But I find it difficult to forgive Anwar for demonising me in the eyes of the whole world. Anwar should have been the Prime Minister of Malaysia today. But if he is not, it is because of his own actions. He left me no choice but to remove him and I did what I thought was best for the country. I may have made many mistakes, but removing Anwar was not one of them. – Chapter 53: Anwar’s Challenge

> Putrajaya is a beautiful, functional city. When I visited the Versailles Palace outside Paris I heard the guide proudly extol its beauty. But when the Sun King Louis XIV built it, the people of Paris had no bread to eat. When we built Putrajaya, Malaysians had full stomachs. It was not built at the cost of neglecting their needs. It expressed the people ’s own pride, not their leader’s vanity. – Chapter 51: Putrajaya

> Throughout my tenure, I tried hard to establish certain standards. Firstly, I did not encourage the adulation and excessive glorification that is often given to leaders. I was determined that there would be no personality cult. I gave instructions that my official picture should not be displayed in government buildings, although this was widely ignored. To date, nothing has been named after me, except an orchid. – Chapter 59: Resignation

> Hoping to lead by example, I practised the values we promoted and resisted any attempts to corrupt me. It involved controlling greed. As Prime Minister I was already receiving an adequate salary but the Government also provided me with comfortable accommodation, paid my electricity and water bills, gave me cars and aircraft for my trips and allowances for my travels.

I had everything and I did not need anything more. But of course my detractors still considered me corrupt. However, my conscience is clear. – Chapter 28: Bersih, Cekap, Amanah





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Dr Mahathir does not fear suit over memoirs

By SIRA HABIBU

PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not losing any sleep over the possibility of certain quarters filing lawsuits against him for putting them in a negative light in his memoirs.

The former Prime Minister said he was driven to tell the truth in his autobiography, A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, which was launched Tuesday.

"There will be those who will not be satisfied.

"If they want to sue, sue lah," he quipped after launching his book at MidValley Megamall.

Dr Mahathir said he had kept the publication of his memoirs a secret until the launching date to avoid possible court injunctions to stop its publication.

"It took me eight years to complete the book.

"I want people to read it. Whatever they think of it is their prerogative," he said.

Dr Mahathir said during his tenure as Prime Minister, he was described as a dictator.

"(In the autobiography) I tried to prove that I am not a dictator. But some people will still feel otherwise," he said, adding that he was expecting brickbats for exposing so much.

To a question from a foreigner, Dr Mahathir said through his book, he wanted to deliver the message that it was not impossible to achieve anything if one was willing to learn.

"I was a commoner, I was not trained in the field of administration, economy or finance.

"But you can learn if you want to learn. The best reward is not the monetary gain but the result of your effort," he said.

"Several chapters were difficult to write because it is all about myself," he said, adding that he was not comfortable promoting himself.

The 809-page book, which retails at RM100 a copy, is available at MPH bookstores nationwide.

Tuesday March 8, 2011

Dr M's much-awaited autobiography goes on sale today

By JUNE H.L. WONG

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: After an eight-year wait, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s highly-anticipated autobiography hits the bookstores today.

The book titled A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad comprises 62 chapters spanning 809 pages.

In it, the former prime minister covers a wide range of topics and reveals the behind-the-scene drama of many events such as Ops Lalang, the Judiciary, his relationship with his former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the alle-gations against former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin.

The doc’s in the house: Dr Mahathir’s new book will be launched today.

The intensely private Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister from 1981 to 2003, also opens up on personal matters like his parents and growing-up years, his university years and his courtship of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.

Anwar is covered in two chapters: “Anwar Joins Umno” in which Dr Mahathir debunks the commonly-held belief that Umno wooed Anwar, saying it was Anwar who made the first move.

And in “Anwar’s Challenge”, Dr Mahathir deals with the decision to sack his former deputy.

Dr Mahathir says that police surveillance provided “evidence, including pictures and the confessions of the people involved” in Anwar’s alleged sexual activities.

He also gives further details on the first sodomy allegations involving Anwar.

After dismissing Anwar, Dr Mahathir says the case was brought to the Umno supreme council.

“During his long explanation, Anwar never once referred to the question of homosexuality, focusing only on the affairs with women.

“He declared that he had done nothing unusual and insisted that everyone, including all the supreme council members, had done such things,” writes Dr Mahathir.

In the chapter “Daim Becomes Finance Minister”, he says he had to defend Daim against repeated allegations that he was lining his pockets and taking kickbacks.

He adds that “no clear evidence was ever produced”, but the “whispering grew louder and more spiteful”.

In the end, “when the talk got to be too much and I could not bear it anymore, I arranged for him to resign,” writes Dr Mahathir.

On Ops Lalang, in which 106 people were detained and three newspapers closed down, Dr Mahathir maintains he was “flabbergasted” at the total number of arrests .

He mentions that he could not “countermand police orders” and had to accept responsibility and support the police action.

He also claims he did not know beforehand that the newspapers would be shut down.

In the chapter, “The Judiciary”, Dr Mahathir gives his side of the story, saying he had no quarrel with Lord President Tun Salleh Abas.

He admits, however, that “in my early years as Prime Minister I was perhaps less discreet and must have publicly exhibited my frustrations with the Judiciary.”

He also reveals what started the whole saga that led to the sacking of Salleh – the latter’s letter to the King complaining about the noise of the renovation being made to the King’s private residence near Salleh’s hou-se.

He says the “Agong felt insulted” as Salleh had sent copies of the letter to all other Rulers.

In the book, Dr Mahathir also talks about his parents and his Malay-Indian heritage.

Although he has South Indian blood, he says: “I am a Malay and am proud of it.

“I am a Malay not just on paper. I am also a Malay in sentiment and in spirit,” he adds.

The most touching part of the book is perhaps his revelations on how he courted his wife who was his classmate in medical school: “All the boys fell over each other to carry her books.

“Aside from female relatives, I had never really met girls before and had no idea how to behave around them.

“But I did not want to be left out, so I finally plucked up my courage to offer her my book-bearing services.”

The couple declared their feelings for each other on April 23, 1949, a date they celebrate every year, writes Dr Mahathir.

A Doctor In The House will be launched today at Mid Valley Megamall and is available at MPH bookstores nationwide.

It retails at RM100 a copy.



Ku Li slams Dr M’s book

By ISABELLE LAI

PETALING JAYA: Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s controversial best-selling autobiography, A Doctor in the House, has been slammed as full of “comedianship” and “political lying” by Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

Tengku Razaleigh, or Ku Li as he is popularly known, refuted the allegations against him in the book, which accused him of leading the Team B faction in a dirty campaign which involved money politics during the 1987 Umno elections.

“As Allah is my witness, I have not done those things. I never steal. I never cheat,” he said in his speech before launching the book “Wang Gungwu, Junzi Scholar-Gentleman” on Friday night.

He said he did not have the kind of money to spend on the campaign, referring to Mahathir’s allegations that about RM20mil was spent on the campaign, with most of the money provided by Tengku Razaleigh himself.

“I do not have that sort of money. I have no cronies. In fact, I am against money politics,” he said.

He also said political lying was pervasive in Malaysia’s political atmosphere today.

“Unfortunately, I do not have remedies in this country to challenge fabrication and political lying,” he said, adding that the lack of a legal remedy to this problem spoke volumes about the country’s political reality.

Tengku Razaleigh is the second person to have refuted claims made in Dr Mahathir’s memoirs after Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim accused the former prime minister of suffering from “selective amnesia.”

In his speech, he also described Wang Gungwu’s book as that reflecting a “scholar with intellectual honesty.”

“A rare commodity these days, particularly in the political atmosphere that we face today in Malaysia where political lying has become pervasive.

“Political lying comes through the media and sometimes, by writing so-called books of memories,” he said in obvious reference to Dr Mahathir’s memoirs.

He said the memoirs - launched under the “pseudo title” of “Doctor In The House” - was a copycat title of a famous British comedy film of the 1950 based on another novel.

“Perhaps it was deliberate, as it does reflect some comedianship, apart from political lying,” he said, addding that the allegations made by Dr Mahathir were “not new”.

Thursday March 10, 2011

Uncommon life of a commoner

By JUNE H.L. WONG

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad never thought he would ever become prime minister.

While he harboured dreams of becoming so, he felt that the odds were stacked against him: he was nothing like the previous PMs, who were all lawyers and were either of royal blood, like Tunku Abdul Rahman, or from elite families, like Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn.

“I, on the other hand, was a commoner, the son of a former schoolteacher ...” he writes in A Doctor in the House, his long-awaited autobiography which was launched yesterday.

In his preface, Dr Mahathir states: “This is the story of Malaysia as I see it. This is also my story.”

And what a story it is.

It is vintage Dr Mahathir, written in a simple, straightforward style with deprecating, yet occasionally sly humour.

At the launch, he was asked about the title and he quipped:

A leader's story: The cover of the much-anticipated autobiography.

“Well, I considered calling it ‘Mahathir the Napoleon’ or ‘Mahathir the Great” or ‘Mahathir the Magnificent’ – like Suleiman the Great (the longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to 1566).

“But I decided against hyperbole as that was not the right way to go.” To him, he was first and foremost a doctor, whether he was caring for his patients or the country, hence the title.

Below are excerpts from the early chapters of A Doctor in the House.

MEDICINE was not considered the best qualification for a Prime Minister.

I was also a rebel and a troublemaker. I had no protector. I was expelled from Umno in 1969 for daring to criticise the Tunku.

This alone should have ended my political career.

My political salvation came from Tun Razak, who overlooked my behaviour with the Tunku and smoothed my way up by making me a full Minister after I won a seat in the 1974 General Election.

When he died in 1976, my only protector was gone.

I have often wondered why he (Tun Hussein 0nn) chose me to be his deputy.

He knew very little about me personally.

I believe he did not have much of a choice when picking his deputy, and perhaps Tun Razak’s views still exerted some influence.

As he once told me, Tun Razak advised him to call me if he ever needed help.

My own relationship with Tun Hussein, however, was sometimes strained.

He rejected a number of my suggestions and was not pleased that I had ventured to offer them.

Increasingly frustrated, I stopped putting forward ideas, I did not want to annoy him and jeopardise my chances of becoming Prime Minister.

Then in 1981, Tun Hussein suddenly informed the Cabinet that he was going to the United Kingdom for treatment for his heart condition.

The operation was successful but Tun Hussein remained unwell when he returned home.

One day in mid-1981, he told me that he could not carry on and wanted to step down.

I was to take over from him. – from “Becoming Prime Minister”

WHILE my father stressed general education, my mother insisted that her children learn the teachings of Islam early in life.

I was closer to my mother than to my father and as a result, she shaped my personality more. She taught me the values that I have upheld throughout my life, especially to be modest and not boastful about what I have done.

Through teaching me to be modest, my mother also handed down the values of tolerance and respect.

My parents were very close.

They did not demonstrate their affection for each other as it was unbecoming to do so, but I knew they loved each other very much.

I cannot imagine what growing up in a polygamous family would have been like. Surely, in such a situation, bitterness would eat at the heart of the household. I would never dream of taking another wife and causing (Tun Dr Siti) Hasmah and my children anguish and pain.

Just as I drew moral instruction from my father and mother, my children have also drawn moral guidance from me. Or so I hope. – from “Family Values”

I HAD set my heart on studying law because I enjoyed debating.

But when I finally received a scholarship, it was to study medicine in Singapore.

At college, I found myself among mostly Chinese and Indian students as Malays made up only 10 per cent of the 70-odd students.

The non-Malay students were brilliant, each having entered with a minimum of 6 As. I believe that, with my 3 As, I gained entry partly due to the fact that the Government of the Malayan Union wanted some Malay students to take up medicine.

Once, in Physics class, I tried to help a Chinese student by explaining how to carry out a particular experiment. He ignored what I said and turned to another student, probably because he did not trust my grasp of the subject.

That semester was my first, and I topped the class in Physics. The snooty student failed the first-year examinations and had to leave.

College was not only about examinations and student issues. Of the seven Malay students in our batch, one was a girl named Hasmah, who wore her hair in two pigtails.

Eventually, she asked whether I could help her with some of her lessons. This would prove near-fatal to our friendship. I was a very impatient young man, and I simply could not understand why she was unable to follow my explanations.

There were times when she and I would lose our tempers, but it was very nice when we made up.

We grew very close, Hasmah and I.

We were only able to get married nine years after we met. One of the dresses that Hasmah wore (at the wedding) was a traditional Chinese dress fashioned after those worn by the Chinese concubines of the Sultan of Malacca.

I teased Hasmah mercilessly after that about being my own concubine. – from “Going to Medical College”

I WAS quite a popular doctor and the number of my patients - Chinese, Malays and Indians - kept increasing.

As the years passed, I found myself stuck in my clinic the whole day and long after other people had gone home.

My world seemed to only consist of nights.

One unattractive aspect of a doctor’s career is obvious but rarely mentioned - most of the people I came into contact with were sick.

Some were dying, and some died in front of me during treatment.

A close friend died one day of a heart attack and I was called in to certify his death.

I was so affected by his death that I wept silently. I generally feel very strongly about things. Even today when something affects me, I get a tight feeling in my chest and my voice breaks. This happens frequently when I talk or even think of the Malays and their failures.

I get emotional and my tears well up.

Ironically, I have a reputation for being tough, even ruthless. Maybe I am. If one wants to get things done one must be single-minded and determined. When I was Prime Minister, I wanted to redeem the honour of the Malays, Malaysians and Malaysia.

From the beginning I knew that it would require a great sense of purpose and a willingness to fend off all challenges.

It must have been those qualities that made me seem hard and uncompromising when I was Prime Minister, for nobody can succeed in politics if they do not have a tough skin.

What I did not want to show was how easily touched I was by tragedy and human suffering. – from “An Alliance is Born”

Tuesday March 8, 2011

Dr M's much-awaited autobiography goes on sale today

By JUNE H.L. WONG

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: After an eight-year wait, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s highly-anticipated autobiography hits the bookstores today.

The book titled A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad comprises 62 chapters spanning 809 pages.

In it, the former prime minister covers a wide range of topics and reveals the behind-the-scene drama of many events such as Ops Lalang, the Judiciary, his relationship with his former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the alle-gations against former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin.



Tuesday March 8, 2011

Dr M's much-awaited autobiography goes on sale today

By JUNE H.L. WONG

newsdesk@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: After an eight-year wait, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s highly-anticipated autobiography hits the bookstores today.

The book titled A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad comprises 62 chapters spanning 809 pages.

In it, the former prime minister covers a wide range of topics and reveals the behind-the-scene drama of many events such as Ops Lalang, the Judiciary, his relationship with his former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the alle-gations against former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin.

The doc’s in the house: Dr Mahathir’s new book will be launched today.

The intensely private Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister from 1981 to 2003, also opens up on personal matters like his parents and growing-up years, his university years and his courtship of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.

Anwar is covered in two chapters: “Anwar Joins Umno” in which Dr Mahathir debunks the commonly-held belief that Umno wooed Anwar, saying it was Anwar who made the first move.

And in “Anwar’s Challenge”, Dr Mahathir deals with the decision to sack his former deputy.

Dr Mahathir says that police surveillance provided “evidence, including pictures and the confessions of the people involved” in Anwar’s alleged sexual activities.

He also gives further details on the first sodomy allegations involving Anwar.

After dismissing Anwar, Dr Mahathir says the case was brought to the Umno supreme council.

“During his long explanation, Anwar never once referred to the question of homosexuality, focusing only on the affairs with women.

“He declared that he had done nothing unusual and insisted that everyone, including all the supreme council members, had done such things,” writes Dr Mahathir.

In the chapter “Daim Becomes Finance Minister”, he says he had to defend Daim against repeated allegations that he was lining his pockets and taking kickbacks.

He adds that “no clear evidence was ever produced”, but the “whispering grew louder and more spiteful”.

In the end, “when the talk got to be too much and I could not bear it anymore, I arranged for him to resign,” writes Dr Mahathir.

On Ops Lalang, in which 106 people were detained and three newspapers closed down, Dr Mahathir maintains he was “flabbergasted” at the total number of arrests .

He mentions that he could not “countermand police orders” and had to accept responsibility and support the police action.

He also claims he did not know beforehand that the newspapers would be shut down.

In the chapter, “The Judiciary”, Dr Mahathir gives his side of the story, saying he had no quarrel with Lord President Tun Salleh Abas.

He admits, however, that “in my early years as Prime Minister I was perhaps less discreet and must have publicly exhibited my frustrations with the Judiciary.”

He also reveals what started the whole saga that led to the sacking of Salleh – the latter’s letter to the King complaining about the noise of the renovation being made to the King’s private residence near Salleh’s hou-se.

He says the “Agong felt insulted” as Salleh had sent copies of the letter to all other Rulers.

In the book, Dr Mahathir also talks about his parents and his Malay-Indian heritage.

Although he has South Indian blood, he says: “I am a Malay and am proud of it.

“I am a Malay not just on paper. I am also a Malay in sentiment and in spirit,” he adds.

The most touching part of the book is perhaps his revelations on how he courted his wife who was his classmate in medical school: “All the boys fell over each other to carry her books.

“Aside from female relatives, I had never really met girls before and had no idea how to behave around them.

“But I did not want to be left out, so I finally plucked up my courage to offer her my book-bearing services.”

The couple declared their feelings for each other on April 23, 1949, a date they celebrate every year, writes Dr Mahathir.

A Doctor In The House will be launched today at Mid Valley Megamall and is available at MPH bookstores nationwide.

It retails at RM100 a copy.

Wednesday March 9, 2011

‘Doc in the House’ flies out the stores

PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s autobiography is selling like hot cakes nationwide.

MPH general manager Tai Kwai Meng said that more than 5,000 copies were sold yesterday – the first day the book, A Doctor in the House, went on sale.

Enjoy the book: Dr Mahathir autographing the first 50 books sold during the launch of his memoirs at Mid Valley Megamall yesterday. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

More than 500 copies were sold at the MPH outlet in Mid Valley Megamall where a beaming Dr Mahathir launched the book and autographed copies for the first 50 buyers.

Many who failed to get his autograph asked Dr Mahathir’s wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali to autograph their copies instead.

MPH Group chief executive officer Ng Tieh Chuan said publishing and distributing the book was a logistics challenge for MPH.

Ng said the Bahasa Malaysia version would be out soon and there were requests to translate the book into several other languages, including Chinese.



The doc’s in the house: Dr Mahathir’s new book will be launched today.

The intensely private Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister from 1981 to 2003, also opens up on personal matters like his parents and growing-up years, his university years and his courtship of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.

Anwar is covered in two chapters: “Anwar Joins Umno” in which Dr Mahathir debunks the commonly-held belief that Umno wooed Anwar, saying it was Anwar who made the first move.

And in “Anwar’s Challenge”, Dr Mahathir deals with the decision to sack his former deputy.

Dr Mahathir says that police surveillance provided “evidence, including pictures and the confessions of the people involved” in Anwar’s alleged sexual activities.

He also gives further details on the first sodomy allegations involving Anwar.

After dismissing Anwar, Dr Mahathir says the case was brought to the Umno supreme council.

“During his long explanation, Anwar never once referred to the question of homosexuality, focusing only on the affairs with women.

“He declared that he had done nothing unusual and insisted that everyone, including all the supreme council members, had done such things,” writes Dr Mahathir.

In the chapter “Daim Becomes Finance Minister”, he says he had to defend Daim against repeated allegations that he was lining his pockets and taking kickbacks.

He adds that “no clear evidence was ever produced”, but the “whispering grew louder and more spiteful”.

In the end, “when the talk got to be too much and I could not bear it anymore, I arranged for him to resign,” writes Dr Mahathir.

On Ops Lalang, in which 106 people were detained and three newspapers closed down, Dr Mahathir maintains he was “flabbergasted” at the total number of arrests .

He mentions that he could not “countermand police orders” and had to accept responsibility and support the police action.

He also claims he did not know beforehand that the newspapers would be shut down.

In the chapter, “The Judiciary”, Dr Mahathir gives his side of the story, saying he had no quarrel with Lord President Tun Salleh Abas.

He admits, however, that “in my early years as Prime Minister I was perhaps less discreet and must have publicly exhibited my frustrations with the Judiciary.”

He also reveals what started the whole saga that led to the sacking of Salleh – the latter’s letter to the King complaining about the noise of the renovation being made to the King’s private residence near Salleh’s hou-se.

He says the “Agong felt insulted” as Salleh had sent copies of the letter to all other Rulers.

In the book, Dr Mahathir also talks about his parents and his Malay-Indian heritage.

Although he has South Indian blood, he says: “I am a Malay and am proud of it.

“I am a Malay not just on paper. I am also a Malay in sentiment and in spirit,” he adds.

The most touching part of the book is perhaps his revelations on how he courted his wife who was his classmate in medical school: “All the boys fell over each other to carry her books.

“Aside from female relatives, I had never really met girls before and had no idea how to behave around them.

“But I did not want to be left out, so I finally plucked up my courage to offer her my book-bearing services.”

The couple declared their feelings for each other on April 23, 1949, a date they celebrate every year, writes Dr Mahathir.

A Doctor In The House will be launched today at Mid Valley Megamall and is available at MPH bookstores nationwide.

It retails at RM100 a copy

Saturday March 12, 2011

Memoirs open old wounds

Comment by BARADAN KUPPUSAMY

The allegations of sexual escapades in the memoirs A Doctor in the House reignite a feud between former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his former deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that had dominated the politics of the country for over a decade.

THE memoirs A Doctor in the House by Dr Mahathir has opened old wounds and re-ignited the fierce feud between him and Anwar over the latter’s alleged sexual escapades.

The sex allegations were the basis for Anwar’s 1998 sacking and jailing for corruption – events that abruptly ended his rising political fortunes in Umno, of which he was deputy president and just one step away from becoming prime minister, his cherished goal.

Dr Mahathir, whose memoirs is selling like hot cakes, devoted a chapter to Anwar in which he alleged that Anwar, now Pakatan Rakyat leader, arranged to have sex with four girls at a house in Kenny Hills, and did not touch on his alleged homosexuality when he defended himself before the Umno supreme council in 1998 and declared he had done nothing wrong and accused other council members of doing the same.

The allegations in the memoirs could be hugely detrimental to Anwar, who is also Opposition Leader in Parliament, because it restates alleged sexual improprieties from the past to a new generation of young people who are also potential voters.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders acknowledge that the allegations in the memoir could colour younger voters’ perception of Anwar’s leadership and possibly damage their chances at the polls.

The allegations in the memoirs resume a feud between the two leaders that had dominated the politics of the country for over a decade and led to Anwar’s sacking, first as Umno deputy president and later as finance minister and deputy prime minister in 1998.

Dr Mahathir retired in 2003 while Anwar was still in prison, convicted and serving a six-year sentence for corruption. However, he was acquitted and freed in 2004 by the Federal Court on sodomy charges.

Despite the prison and six-year break from active politics, Anwar made a sterling comeback putting together a loose coalition of his PKR, DAP and the Islamic PAS, to win handsomely in the 2008 general election.

The loose coalition later became Pakatan Rakyat but is now tattered following defections, massive internal squabbles within PKR and disagreement between DAP and PAS over the place of Syariah laws in a secular society.

Even as the memoirs rip into Anwar for alleged sexual impropriety and damage his standing as an Islamic leader, here and abroad, Anwar is still faced with the outcome of the second sodomy trial that hangs over him and Pakatan like an uncertain dagger.

It is obvious, too, that Pakatan, as a political coalition, is extremely weakened without him as its head.

It is unfortunate, too, that Anwar, whose image is badly tarnished by the repeated allegations, is increasingly a liability to the coalition and potentially weakening it.

Anwar is a liability, some PAS lea¬ders are saying privately, citing the unremitting attacks on him by his former aides and spicy revelations from the ongoing sodomy trial as examples of indignity that are difficult for the Pakatan to live down, especially among conservative Malays in rural Malaysia where Umno holds sway.

Dr Mahathir’s memoirs has unexpectedly re-ignited the old sex scandals for a new generation of Malaysians, who see the former prime minister as a leader who had lifted a colonial backwater into a modern, economic powerhouse.

The fact that the memoirs sell also indicates that Dr Mahathir remains relevant and continues to keep his ability for powerful polemics against old rivals like Anwar and is able, through his writings and speeches, to influence public perception of Anwar.

This generation also sees Dr Mahathir as a hero for “saving” the country during the 1998 economic crisis by doing the unthinkable i.e. fixing the ringgit’s exchange rate to the dollar and imposing capital controls.

Perception is the key factor in voting patterns and is the reason why Pakatan did so well in 2008 with older voters seeing Anwar as a victim of political conspiracy.

But the new generation may not buy that idea any more, especially after the revelations at the sodomy two trial and, now, in Dr Mahathir’s memoirs.

The memoirs could spark a re-examination of the events leading to the now famous estrangement between the two leaders, which was essentially a power struggle but was couched as a moral battle where Anwar was labelled as “unfit” to become prime minister because of sexual impropriety.

Anwar has dismissed the allegations in the memoirs as “blatant lies” from a man suffering from “selective amnesia” and his long-time lawyer Sankara Nair has advised the Pakatan leader not to pursue legal action against the memoirs as it was “old news”.

Nevertheless, the memoirs and the fresh allegations against Anwar are in the public space and liable to be repeated endlessly and become fodder during election campaigns.

With so much baggage trailing behind him, Anwar remains the incorrigible optimist still able to promise Pakatan Rakyat that Putrajaya is within grasp and he could become prime minister and rewrite the political rules.

Fit or unfit, the issue is ultimately in the hands of the voters.

Dr Mahathir does not fear suit over memoirs

By SIRA HABIBU

PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not losing any sleep over the possibility of certain quarters filing lawsuits against him for putting them in a negative light in his memoirs.

The former Prime Minister said he was driven to tell the truth in his autobiography, A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, which was launched Tuesday.

"There will be those who will not be satisfied.

"If they want to sue, sue lah," he quipped after launching his book at MidValley Megamall.

Dr Mahathir said he had kept the publication of his memoirs a secret until the launching date to avoid possible court injunctions to stop its publication.

"It took me eight years to complete the book.

"I want people to read it. Whatever they think of it is their prerogative," he said.

Dr Mahathir said during his tenure as Prime Minister, he was described as a dictator.

"(In the autobiography) I tried to prove that I am not a dictator. But some people will still feel otherwise," he said, adding that he was expecting brickbats for exposing so much.

To a question from a foreigner, Dr Mahathir said through his book, he wanted to deliver the message that it was not impossible to achieve anything if one was willing to learn.

"I was a commoner, I was not trained in the field of administration, economy or finance.

"But you can learn if you want to learn. The best reward is not the monetary gain but the result of your effort," he said.

"Several chapters were difficult to write because it is all about myself," he said, adding that he was not comfortable promoting himself.

The 809-page book, which retails at RM100 a copy, is available at MPH bookstores nationwide.