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Dr Mahathir limply marks his 21 years in office

Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed marked his 21 years as Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister quietly, secretly, without fanfare. Few knew of it, the newspapers all but ignored it, the crowds at the Bukit Jalil stadium could have been more. RTM had a life broadcast about it of the military tattoo and other events to keep the crowd entertained. There were gifts for the lucky ones, but the normal enthusiasm as when the ministerial wives' charity, Bakti, organises a dinner. Then the cronies and courtiers of the Establishment would vie themselves to donate RM1 million to sit on the same table as the Prime Minister; one doubled it when another would as well. He could not be seen anywhere else. No such vote of confidence last night. Why not, I wonder?

A new crony-to-be accompanied him, the crowd unenthusiastic, when the donations were handed out, only RM100,000 was collected: half went to daughter's AIDS Foundation, the rest to cancer research. For an anniversary as momentous as this, with Malaysia's economy is, in the government's view, in the pinkest of health, one should rightly expect more than a crony's small change. No euphoric cheers from the crowd, no one cared a hoot, not even the Works Minister, Dato' Seri S. Samy Vellu, who was next door attending an Indian function which elicited a more racuous and enthusiastic crowd. But then when could Dr Mahathir ever outstage the mind-numbing extravaganza of South Indian film stars?

Before 1998, he was the darling of the Malaysian, and world, crowds. After, he dared not venture in public except under heavy escort, talks to Malaysians from afar, usually well-fortified holdouts, the prospect of being booed ever present. The newspapers all but ignored the milestone, Pendang and Anak Bukit reducing it to nought. A more public celebration would have made him the laughing stock of the nation. So a subdued one it was. And like Dr Mahathir landing in Kedah to fulfull a long standing commitment amidst the bye-elections, he could not back out of this listless celebration of what Malaysians are disinclined to celebrate: his 21st year in office. But he must wish he had. And he must rue that Malaysians would rather remember the fifth anniversary of his humiliation of his former deputy prime minister than the 21 years he had been Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister must know his public relations forays, elections campaigns, and all attempts to make him look good end in disaster. Those who organise them not to make it a success but to please him. The Malay ground is so fractured that many in his entourage work against him where they could. Since the BN and UMNO could not guarantee that the Malay in their favour works for them, is indifferent, often is against them, with the divide at all levels, any anti-opposition plans and campaigns are more likely to fail.

In Pendang and Anak Bukit, UMNO accused PAS of issuing pamphlets and posters of Dr Mahathir in a clerical habit with a large bishopric cross around his neck. But it was an UMNO psywar plan which went awry. In 1990, when Tengku Razaliegh Hamzah, then of Semangat '46, was seen wearing a Sabah headdress which had as a design what looked like a Christian Cross, it succeeded in frightening the Malay to vote for BN. This time it helped PAS win and UMNO to lose ground. How could the Special Branch and other intelligence agencies tell him on polling day that both Pendang and Anak Bukit were safely in BN hands? But they did.

No doubt those who organised the extravaganza (or whatever you call it!) did it not for the Prime Minister's reputation but for their own reasons; they could even have done it so he would look small. It is there for all to see. The sycophantic self-serving full page advertisements in Malaysia's newspapers praising the Prime Minister for his 21-years in office is strangely absent. Radio and television are strangely silent of this momentous milestone that makes Malaysia proud Dr Mahathir is its revered Prime Minister. No cabinet minister has proudly told Malaysians, after last week's cabinet meeting, of the cabinet's congratulations and praise for one of the best Prime Minsters Malaysia could ever have. These people, grateful as they are to him, are frightened beyond belief what would happen to them in their constituencies if they are seen to praise the Prime Minister out of turn.

He reminds one of a dictator of a Latin American country who ruled his country with an even-handed repression and progress. Having ruled for two decades and the opposition to him too much for comfort, his aides and advisers he felt deceived him, and so he decided to find out for himself. Dressed as a farmer, he ventured into the area where opposition to him was the fiercest

The organisers wanted a docile crowd, but even the usual the supermarket offers could not bring it in: the lucky amongst them would return with motor cars and other valuable prizes. It did not matter one could be struck by lightning before one won a prize. But it did not matter. For one, too many seats for the Prime Minister's comfiture. The National Front (BN) leaders were strangely not there in full force as they would when he returns from an overseas trip. The four hours of live telecast over RTM's TV1, so listless and boring as usual, was painful to watch. It showed not a celebration to a popular and liked Prime Minister but a wake of one who though alive had been politically dead for years.

He insists he is as strong as he ever was. But he could not prevent the opposition being returned yet again in the Kedah constituency where he has his home. The Bolehland business men cronies and wannabes did not rise to the occasion to pledge millions of ringgits as once they cheerly would. The long and short of it is that he should stay away from such extravaganzas, which shows not a confident man but a politically dead man at his wake, painful for all to watch and bringing tears even to those of his supporters who are sorry to see him waste away so unfailingly.

He reminds one of a Latin American dictator, in power for decades, facing unspoken opposition but cossetted from bad news by aides and his political organisation, decided to find out why at first hand. He disguided himself as a farmer went into the province where opposition to him was endemic, wandered into a pub, and as casually as he could, asked one there what he thought of this dictator. This fellow looked at him in fright, looked about him, beckoned him outside, walked him conspiratorially to the centre of the village football field, not satisfied, rowed him to the middle of the lake. Satisfied no one would eavesdrop, he leaned over and whispered: "I like him!" Dr Mahathir would no doubt understand the dictator' predicament.

M.G.G. Pillai
pillai@mgg.pc.my