Stepping Down Is Hard To Do

Stepping into and out of high office is a fact of life. There is some parallels between Malaysia and Taiwan in this respect.

How the country and Umno is going to view the contributions of Dr Mahathir is certainly open to speculation. He has been incessantly attacking incumbent Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. His attacks are powerful and dramatic. He is a Machiavellian, I'm afraid that not many people could guess his next step after his resignation.

Dr Mahathir still launches overwhelming challenges against his hand-picked successor even though he is already 83 years old. I am afraid that it would be hard to find other political leaders in the world who would act like him.

Undeniably, Dr Mahathir is a wise man. Otherwise, he would not be notable in the political arena and created a myth of glory as he returned to Umno after being expelled from the party.

"There is no perfect regimes or leaders in the world."
From Tunku Abdul Rahman to Tun Musa Hitam, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Anwar Ibrahim, Dr Mahathir has built an invisible legend about himself. Why is he still working so hard today?

People have all kinds of interpretations and speculations. Those who support him would praise his concern to the country and the people, without caring for his personal reputation and health. While those who oppose him would criticise him for ignoring the people's interests and caring only for his own fame and fortune.

No matter how he is being evaluated, it is undeniable that Dr Mahathir is one of the most influential politicians in the history of Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Ma Ying-jeou has officially become the President of Taiwan while Chen Shui-bian has stepped down recently.

Ma looked energetic and confident while Chen inadvertently showed his disappointment and reluctance to let go as he tried to put on an air of cheerfulness when leaving the presidential palace.

It requires strength to step up and wisdom to step down. A leader must look elegant while he takes up office and when he steps down, the sight of his back must look good as well. This is a rule for the political game. Chen had been in power for eight years, which has triggered a lot of disputes. The people have their own views on his performances regardless how the performances are recorded in the history. But right after he stepped down, he had to face charges brought against him.

Similarly, Dr Mahathir would have to be investigated by the Attorney General because of the V.K. Lingam judicial scandal. Anyway, the people have already formed their own opinions about Dr Mahathir.

Undoubtedly, Dr Mahathir is a strong leader. Because of his strength, he has resolved the confrontation problems of the Malayan Communist Party, weakened the power of the royal family, and successfully led the country's economic restructuring during his term of office. He did make some contributions in the Malay community's stability and progress. However, he is as well responsible for the unlimited expansion of racial politics in the country, corruption and power abuse.

We can only say that it is easy to take the office but it is hard to step down. There is no perfect regimes or leaders in the world.

Mahathir's style is in fact similar to another strong politician, Lee Teng-hui. They showed us that it is actually so difficult for a powerful politician to step down the gorgeous stage and leave the show!

By LIM MUN FAH
Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE
Sin Chew Daily
23/05/08