It’s about time Dr M got schooled
YoursayPublished: Apr 30, 2014 12:26 AM | Updated: Apr 30, 2014 2:44 AM
YOURSAY ‘Dr M, learn to change with the times. There’s no country for old men.’
Ambiga schools Dr M on nation's real foes
Swipenter: "Corruption, abuse of power, destruction of fundamental institutions, erosion of human rights, racism and extremism (are what cause instability in a nation)... Do you want me to go on?" asked former Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga."
That is so short and yet precisely why Bolehland is now at the crossroads between reclaiming its democratic past and becoming a failed state.
The legacy of Dr Mahathir Mohamad must be undone if good is to triumph over evil, light over darkness in order for Bolehland to recover from its past and present excesses and be respected on the world stage once again.
Mahathir is fighting tooth and nail to maintain his image as a statesman, but he is fighting a losing battle.
Slowly, but surely he has been exposed as the one who single-handedly destroyed the harmony of multiracial Bolehland and wasted its full potential through divisive racial and religious politics, discrimination, destroying its democratic institutions and unabated corruption.
Anonymous_1397678952: Ambiga and current Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abullah are absolutely right. Peaceful protests or demonstrations are not wrong. The constitution recognises that right.
Umno and Perkasa often use that right when it suits the government to allow them to do so. Ambiga has outlined the real enemies of the nation.
We are a democracy and we are a secular nation. We are a strongly spiritual nation but that does not mean that we are not secular.
The Muslims may be comprise over 50-odd percent of the population, but that does not make us an Islamic country nor does it give the Muslim majority the right to alter the basic character of the nation and make the country less democratic and less secular.
All these attempts to divide the races through religion and ethnicity are dangerous. Why can't fairness and justice be sufficient? Why can't helping those who need help be sufficient? Why is there a fear of free elections?
Changes in government occur in all democracies and life goes on, and the opposition are treated with respect in these democracies.
We should stop looking at the wrong places. We should stop looking for scapegoats and focus on the things that matter. Spending and deploying all our resources to keep a party in power is a horrible waste. And it is destructive.
Politicians should accept changes in government as normal. This will keep the government on its toes and clean. The non-Malays are not the enemies of the Malays.
Mushiro: Mahathir is out to instigate and set the stage for the police to do an 'Ops Lalang 2'. It is obvious that the popularity of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Umno are dropping.
Obama's visit, which was supposed to boost Najib's popularity, is not helping and is probably doing the opposite. The Bukit Gelugor by-election will be another disaster to Najib. So Mahathir is finding ways and means to find an excuse for some extrajudicial action on the opposition.
Mahathir the hypocrite does not believe in sincerely helping the country. He prefers to supress peaceful street demonstrations and freedom of expression and encourage evils like corruption, misrule, racism and injustice.
When he should have handed the PM-ship to a forward-thinking and qualified leader like his then deputy Anwar Ibrahim, he instead picked the ‘sleepy’ Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who ruined the country.
Najib, who was the preferred choice of Mahathir, further misled the country to the state we are in today until Mahathir himself is now trying to overthrow Najib.
GrooTheWanderer: Mahathir, your era is over. You still continue to use the platform given to you as if you are the country's prime minister.
Rallies are an integral part of the process and momentary inconvenience is not the issue. In other countries, hundreds die while ours is a passive initiative to highlight the many wrongs the government has been doing for decades.
Mahathir, you should be joining the citizens in the rallies demanding for changes. This can even save BN in the next election.
Cogito Ergo Sum: The people are no longer ignorant as they were during your youth, Mahathir.
The Internet has changed the scenario, much to your chagrin as you brought it about. But, as you empowered the people, you failed to grow with that empowering. You remained static in your mind and culture.
Let the people decide fairly. Maybe spend some time with the opposition for a couple of terms, if not forever. Learn to change with the times. There is no country for old men.
Senior Citizen: Perhaps Mahathir could have remained as a mentor to the government and remained neutral. Instead he remained as a nuisance to every single educated citizen and in the process has made a fool of himself.
That is the sad part of his story. He is now being ridiculed by almost every human being on earth. Yes, I feel sorry for him, but what can I do?
Nonbeliever: There is a saying, "The eye is small, but can see huge faults, only in others."
Malaysia also cannot 'see' that the Bolehland has extreme corruption. In no time, the neighbouring countries will take revenge on Malaysia because they are becoming richer and more powerful through hard work and less corruption.
Fair Play: Dear Ambiga and Bersih leader Maria Chin: the right-thinking rakyat know full well why Mahathir is furious, I mean, really furious with Bersih.
Both of you are the cause of his utter discomfort and worst still, you got the opportunity to tell US President Barack Obama your side of the story.
No doubt Obama would have nodded his head in agreement more than once. For all his 22 years as the longest serving PM, what has Mahathir got to show, except undying loyalty from his devotees only?
EvenSteven: Way to go, Ambiga. Give it to the old geezer but, truth be told, what he uttered is for the gullible, for example Malay rights NGO Perkasa, and not for the knowledgeable.
I am happy Obama did not bother to give him the time of day. Mahathir would have dumped you into the clink during his time, lady or no lady. He still has lots of venom though, but not the fangs to deliver.
Bamboo: Mahathir definitely needs some schooling. He can’t dictate and lead our views as he did in the pre-Internet days. We, Malaysians, are not stupid. Bravo to the brave ladies, Ambiga and Maria Chin.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.
Ambiga schools Dr M on nation's real foes
Swipenter: "Corruption, abuse of power, destruction of fundamental institutions, erosion of human rights, racism and extremism (are what cause instability in a nation)... Do you want me to go on?" asked former Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga."That is so short and yet precisely why Bolehland is now at the crossroads between reclaiming its democratic past and becoming a failed state.
The legacy of Dr Mahathir Mohamad must be undone if good is to triumph over evil, light over darkness in order for Bolehland to recover from its past and present excesses and be respected on the world stage once again.
Mahathir is fighting tooth and nail to maintain his image as a statesman, but he is fighting a losing battle.
Slowly, but surely he has been exposed as the one who single-handedly destroyed the harmony of multiracial Bolehland and wasted its full potential through divisive racial and religious politics, discrimination, destroying its democratic institutions and unabated corruption.
Anonymous_1397678952: Ambiga and current Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abullah are absolutely right. Peaceful protests or demonstrations are not wrong. The constitution recognises that right.
Umno and Perkasa often use that right when it suits the government to allow them to do so. Ambiga has outlined the real enemies of the nation.
We are a democracy and we are a secular nation. We are a strongly spiritual nation but that does not mean that we are not secular.
The Muslims may be comprise over 50-odd percent of the population, but that does not make us an Islamic country nor does it give the Muslim majority the right to alter the basic character of the nation and make the country less democratic and less secular.
All these attempts to divide the races through religion and ethnicity are dangerous. Why can't fairness and justice be sufficient? Why can't helping those who need help be sufficient? Why is there a fear of free elections?
Changes in government occur in all democracies and life goes on, and the opposition are treated with respect in these democracies.
We should stop looking at the wrong places. We should stop looking for scapegoats and focus on the things that matter. Spending and deploying all our resources to keep a party in power is a horrible waste. And it is destructive.
Politicians should accept changes in government as normal. This will keep the government on its toes and clean. The non-Malays are not the enemies of the Malays.
Mushiro: Mahathir is out to instigate and set the stage for the police to do an 'Ops Lalang 2'. It is obvious that the popularity of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Umno are dropping.
Obama's visit, which was supposed to boost Najib's popularity, is not helping and is probably doing the opposite. The Bukit Gelugor by-election will be another disaster to Najib. So Mahathir is finding ways and means to find an excuse for some extrajudicial action on the opposition.
Mahathir the hypocrite does not believe in sincerely helping the country. He prefers to supress peaceful street demonstrations and freedom of expression and encourage evils like corruption, misrule, racism and injustice.
When he should have handed the PM-ship to a forward-thinking and qualified leader like his then deputy Anwar Ibrahim, he instead picked the ‘sleepy’ Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who ruined the country.
Najib, who was the preferred choice of Mahathir, further misled the country to the state we are in today until Mahathir himself is now trying to overthrow Najib.
GrooTheWanderer: Mahathir, your era is over. You still continue to use the platform given to you as if you are the country's prime minister.
Rallies are an integral part of the process and momentary inconvenience is not the issue. In other countries, hundreds die while ours is a passive initiative to highlight the many wrongs the government has been doing for decades.
Mahathir, you should be joining the citizens in the rallies demanding for changes. This can even save BN in the next election.
Cogito Ergo Sum: The people are no longer ignorant as they were during your youth, Mahathir.
The Internet has changed the scenario, much to your chagrin as you brought it about. But, as you empowered the people, you failed to grow with that empowering. You remained static in your mind and culture.
Let the people decide fairly. Maybe spend some time with the opposition for a couple of terms, if not forever. Learn to change with the times. There is no country for old men.
Senior Citizen: Perhaps Mahathir could have remained as a mentor to the government and remained neutral. Instead he remained as a nuisance to every single educated citizen and in the process has made a fool of himself.
That is the sad part of his story. He is now being ridiculed by almost every human being on earth. Yes, I feel sorry for him, but what can I do?
Nonbeliever: There is a saying, "The eye is small, but can see huge faults, only in others."
Malaysia also cannot 'see' that the Bolehland has extreme corruption. In no time, the neighbouring countries will take revenge on Malaysia because they are becoming richer and more powerful through hard work and less corruption.
Fair Play: Dear Ambiga and Bersih leader Maria Chin: the right-thinking rakyat know full well why Mahathir is furious, I mean, really furious with Bersih.
Both of you are the cause of his utter discomfort and worst still, you got the opportunity to tell US President Barack Obama your side of the story.
No doubt Obama would have nodded his head in agreement more than once. For all his 22 years as the longest serving PM, what has Mahathir got to show, except undying loyalty from his devotees only?
EvenSteven: Way to go, Ambiga. Give it to the old geezer but, truth be told, what he uttered is for the gullible, for example Malay rights NGO Perkasa, and not for the knowledgeable.
I am happy Obama did not bother to give him the time of day. Mahathir would have dumped you into the clink during his time, lady or no lady. He still has lots of venom though, but not the fangs to deliver.
Bamboo: Mahathir definitely needs some schooling. He can’t dictate and lead our views as he did in the pre-Internet days. We, Malaysians, are not stupid. Bravo to the brave ladies, Ambiga and Maria Chin.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.
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