opinion Ng Eng Kiat, a malaysiakini intern from Universiti Sains Malaysia, hears former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaks in person for the first time.

He pens his impression here:

I have heard his name so many times, listened to his voice, and saw his face on books and television. But not until yesterday did I get to see former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad face to face.

The occasion was the Perdana Global Peace Forum 2006, and as expected, Mahathir launched another of his famous rants against the West, but I have to admit there is horrifying legitimacy in his scathing attack on the "real" perpetrators of war.

Used to perception of Malaysian leaders being pompously fed and arrogantly ignorant, I was surprised at how small but informed Mahathir seemed to be against evildoers, whom he labeled as "war criminals".

On a global stage where Malaysia is but a tiny fragment, Mahathir, by calling George W Bush and Tony Blair liars and championing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a kind soul, certainly sounded like a voice for the voiceless.

In his keynote address to the public forum, Mahathir called on global citizens to engage in a "war on misinformation" against the superpowers that still believe killing people is legitimate.

"On TV, we are touched by the concern shown towards dogs and cats and whales. How humane these people are. [...] But cannot we spare some time, some sympathy, some concern for fellow humans, who are being slaughtered daily, children being shot, wounded and killed in the name of democracy?" he said.

If this is a match between David and Goliath, Mahathir could be fighting an endless war, too, as US President George W Bush had, in March this year, called Americans to get ready for a long war against terror that is only at its beginning now.

I would strongly salute Mahathir's courage in attempting to stop atrocities from happening in the supposedly civilised global society today but whether his efforts can generate political will in other countries is still left to be seen.

Heart-warming

During a question-and-answer session after his speech, Mahathir admitted it would be easier said than done when he talked about how heavily developing countries depend on the US for trade and suggested nonchalantly that the only way to bring down the world's biggest economy was to reject its currency.

Listening to this great, some say the greatest, leader of Malaysia criticising his global partners about their misdoing so openly was heart-warming indeed.

But insofar as Mahathir seemed a very rational being, questions about his rule of Malaysia still boggled me. At best, he sounded hypocritical.

"The world knows the war against Iraq is illegal, not sanctioned by the UN Security Council and a direct contravention to the UN Charter. [...] Why did Bush and Blair disregard world opinion?" he asked.

My immediate thought was, "We know the Internal Security Act is contradictory to our constitution, why did you disregard civil society's opinion?"

Although some say it's stupid for someone living in a greenhouse to sling stones at others, Mahathir has proven that there is nothing wrong in having an opinion, even if it is a different one.

When I was a kid, Mahathir was a name all my young friends and I were taught to revere. As I grew up, Mahathir was always meant to be a symbol of vision and achievement.

Then came a ideological deconstruction period in university where I learned that social reality was, after all, created by man and is subject to change. My perception of truth was challenged.

"The world should call a spade a spade!"

For a moment, I wondered whether I heard wrongly.


NG ENG KIAT, 21, is on a two-month internship with Malaysiakini. He is a third-year student at USM's School of Communication.