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Dr Mahathir goes gallivanting again.

Like rats jumping off a sinking ship, Malaysian federal and state leaders will not miss an opportunity to leave the country at a moment's notice. Crisis or no crisis. The prime minister, Dato' Seri Mahathir Mohamed, is off gallivanting again tomorrow. to Cuba, Chile, Uruguay and Argentina. And like the pied piper of Hamelin, his will be accompanied by the usual entourage of Bolehland business men, posing for yet another photograph with the prime minister to adorn their offices to "attest" to their closeness. The chief minister of Malacca, Dato' Abu Zahar Ismail, leaves today on a visit to the United States, Canada and Britain. His excuse for leaving now: Dr Mahathir had approved it. Once approval is given, it would be a shame not to use it. Besides, he may not give the approval the next time. That would be a trip wasted. So, the trip goes on, he insists.

The chief minister of Sarawak has scooted off to Britain amidst the worst emergency in the state's history. So has two or three of his state cabinet ministers. The deputy prime minister, Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, went off to Bangkok, also with a large retinue of Bolehland's best and the brightest, and is now in Hong Kong. The latter is a necessary trip since it is a meeting of the World Bank, but was Dr Mahathir's presence there really necessary? Besides bringing international odium on the country with his "bull in a China shop" speech on the currency crisis there, it brought the ringgit under considerable pressure, destroyed Malaysia's internal damage-control efficiency by a belief that he and his deputy do not get along, and with that the inevitable belief that leadership in Malaysia is nonexistent under him. To prove it, after being described as the director-general of the national disaster relief effort, he has decided that that be best handle that long distance.

The federal and state governments, bar Kelantan, have become rudderless, with their captains looking for any effort to shirk their responsibilities. Dr Mahathir has spend as much, if not more time, overseas this year than he has been in the country. The country drifts. Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who kept a safe distance from his leader's antics, have been somehow brought right into the mess, sharing responsibility but without the power to act. Everything hinges around the prime minister, and he is often visiting some obscure part of the world. It would be cheaper to let him be our rowing prime minister and let those who can do the job get on with it. But who would dare bell the cat?

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