I wonder what will happen if Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad gets a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The mainstream media, including government-controlled TV and radio stations, will sing praises of his 'wisdom', 'determination', 'stamina' and 'statesmanship' in their lead stories of the day for at least three months running.

The companies which matter will sponsor mammoth open-air concerts and gala parties dedicated to the new hero. Public holidays may even be declared for schools and universities so that the staff and students can join in the celebrations.

Dr Ling Liong Sik, Samy Vellu and Dr Lim Keng Yaik would get their wealthy friends to take out full-page advertisements in the newspapers with one single slogan: Malaysia Boleh. Pro-government mosques, churches and temples will organise special prayer sessions.

But if Anwar Ibrahim gets a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, there will be a silence of jealousy.

The propaganda machine may even start to churn out articles from Africa and China condemning the Nobel Peace Prize as an 'imperialist tool of the United States', 'as neo-colonial as the International Monetary Fund' or a 'white men's ploy to subvert Malaysia'.