Harassment & Hanging Ambiga: Umno has no feeling for Indians

Some UMNO leaders can never learn from history. Over 50 years holding on to power has made them arrogant.  It is always threats and racial tinges that have made them survive thus far. But the equation has now changed in Malaysian politics. UMNO is no more seen as a political entity that is likely to survive in the next general election.

Threats and racial overtones have now even climaxed to uncouth statements demanding for a person’s life.  An UMNO MP’s suggestion that Ambiga is a traitor and should be hanged is too much for the Indian community in the country to swallow.

Ambiga exploded many myths

Ambiga Sreenevasan, the co-chairman of Bersih 3.0 − a coalition of NGOs (non-governmental organisations) which seeks to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections − has proven to UMNO that the Bersih rallies in the past had seen people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds working in unison as Malaysians.

She has exploded many myths long held by UMNO leaders that multi-racial Malaysia cannot work as a team. UMNO is thus not pleased with Ambiga. UMNO has all this while speciously thought that only they can lead the country with their divide-and-rule policies stained with an unfair electoral process.

Just recently it was reported that an UMNO MP had derided Ambiga to the extent that she was labelled as a traitor and went to suggest that “she be hanged” for treason. Just because Ambiga was involved in the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28 this year and has won the hearts of majority Malaysians the MP invidiously labelled her as a traitor and  equating her to the Al-Ma'unah leader who was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death about a decade ago.

The Al-Ma'unah was a militant terrorist group − headed by the leader Mohamed Amin Mohamed Razali − at Bukit Jenalik on 6 July 2000 and brought to trial for charges of "waging war against the King". This became the first people convicted of such offence in Malaysia. Amin and his two lieutenants, Zahit Muslim (ex-police VAT-69 commando) and Jamaluddin Darus, were sentenced to death.

The dye is now cast

Though the MP was later forced to retract his statement by the Speaker in parliament he did not say sorry to Ambiga for his uncouthness. His demeanour has hurt the feelings of the Indians in the country. The dye is now cast as the damage has already been done.

In fact derogatory terms were freely used to label Ambiga by some bigots who supported UMNO.  They had no qualms over using disrespectful words such as “pariah” and even “sex nuances” to vitiate her. This has actually backfired and become an ignominy to UMNO.

Ambiga has been harassed for too long while the police and Najib are keeping an elegant silent about the whole issue. Before this was the setting up of burger stalls in front of her home by a group of disenchanted traders, followed by a group of so-called army veterans who went to perform “butt exercises”.

They must be mindful that beef is not consumed by devote Hindus. Ambiga is a Brahmin and a vegetarian. This blasphemous act by those zealots is very offensive to all Hindus and those respectable citizens of the country.

The Indians are today disappointed by all these crackpots, as they were not reproached by the UMNO leadership. Najib as the prime minster has perceptibly been silent over this matter − feasibly thinking that all these “uncivilised” actions by some irresponsible fanatics could bring him some brownie points to uplift his sagging image.

Ambiga is a devoted Hindu and is a Malaysian lawyer who served as the President of the Malaysian Bar Council from 2007 to 2009. A distinguished personality she was conferred honorary doctorate in law by University of Exeter.

Study with Raffles University Iskandar

She was one of eight recipients of the US Secretary of State “International Women of Courage” Award in 2009. Marc Barety, the ambassador of France to Malaysia, granted the Legion of Honour insignia to Ambiga in 23 September 2011. She was recognised for her contributions to the human rights defence.

Alternative to UMNO

UMNO can remain arrogant. But history has proven that no political party in any part of the world can remain in power forever. In the Malaysian context the indications are that UMNO is becoming less relevant to the Malays. PAS is now becoming the alternative to UMNO.PAS is gradually and surely overtaking UMNO as a party that represents the majority Malays.

Malays are, as most would expect, embracing PAS, PKR and even DAP.

PAS as a relatively moderate and unassertive political party is being cherished not only by Malays and Muslims but also the Chinese and Indians. The people have not heard a single PAS lawmaker or member in the past hurling abusive words against a Chinese or Indian in the country. Their piety and strong leaning towards religion has made them behave thus.

No Malaysians have ever heard of uncalled-for loutish terms such as “pengkhianat”.  “pendatang”, “kesal diberi kerakyatan”, “pecat kerakyatan”, ”Cina babi”, “penumpang”, “tak suka boleh balik ke negara asal”, “kurang ajar”, “pelacur” “celaka”, “pariah” coming from PAS (or the Opposition) lawmakers or members. Such is the graciousness of the God-fearing people in PAS. They are the bigots in UMNO and some NGOs allied to UMNO that have disaffected the Indians and Chinese in the country by using all the boorish expressions against the non-Malays.

These foul-mouthed words were never heard of from other natives in the country against the Indians and Chinese. The majority of them are willing to live together as Malaysians. But rhetoric on race relations by UMNO has actually become a sham and this has made the people more polarised.

The Indians and Chinese are only made up of less than 35 percent of the population. They are here to stay as this is their country.  It’s UMNO’s bad policies of 55 years that have failed to bring all the races together and they should now stop blaming the non-Malays for not supporting them.

Indians especially are not as fortunate

First of all the non-Malays in this country are not considered as “natives” by UMNO and they do not enjoy the privileges given to the “natives”. But as ordinary human beings they have their pride and many have struggled against all odds to survive. Many have become successful and many others have not.

The Indians especially are not as fortunate as the Chinese or the Malays. Over 60 percent of Indians in the country are in the poor cluster. With poverty comes deprivation that usually brings to humiliation. This should not be the reason for demeaning the Indians.

The majority being deprived, poor and underprivileged they have always been mocked by politicians. They even had a novel “Interlock” used in schools that did not portray the poor Indians in a couth and mild fashion.

“Interlok” is a 1971 Malay language novel written by Malaysian national laureate Abdullah Hussain. The novel was included in the syllabus for the Malay Literature subject as compulsory reading for students in Form 5 in schools throughout Malaysia.

“Interlok” caused a controversy when detractors claim that the novel contained derogatory words to describe Malaysian Indians as "pariah". The book has since been withdrawn from the syllabus.

Not sensitive to the feelings of the minority

It looks like some of these UMNO bigots are not sensitive to the feelings of the minority in the country. Post-2008 general election saw many unpleasant events happening in the country, which included the stomping of a severed cow head in public, temples and churches being desecrated, the mock Hindu funeral rites in front of the chief minister's home in Penang. This has offended both the Indians and the Chinese.

The Indians and Chinese were often branded as “pendatang” when over 90 percent of these people today are Malaysian-born. By virtue of been born in the country shouldn’t they be considered natives of this country?

Irrefutably, the ancestors of all Malaysians can be traced to “pendatang”. The theory says some came to this country very much earlier and some others very much later. But today we see a big generation of Malaysians almost all were born in this country.

This racist politics of UMNO became more overt beginning 1981 when Mahathir Mohammad (by virtue of the same theory can be described as a product of “pendatang”) − took over office as prime minister. His divide-and-rule policies have made race relations in the country become murky and more divergent.

UMNO lacks the political will to make all Malaysians unite and live together as Malaysians. UMNO’s agenda is to play a Malay-centric politics and this has left the country polarised until today.

No ordinary person

Ambiga is no ordinary person in our society. She has become the new icon of the Indians as well as the other races in the country. Her name is today on the lips of every Malaysian not because she is a traitor but a saviour of the country’s democracy.

The Indians rejected UMNO and BN in the last general election (2008). It was Hindraf under the leadership of Uthayakumar that significantly brought about to the demise of MIC leader’s political career and BN’s loss of a few states to the Opposition.

Samy Vellu lost to the PSM candidate in Sungai Siput. Many other MIC and PPP candidates lost in that election. BN also lost its two-thirds majority in parliament.

The Indians and Chinese together with the Malays gave victory to many Opposition candidates then. They did not hesitate to vote for PAS. Many PAS candidates won with a big majority because of their votes,

Najib is off beamed by keeping an elegant silent on so many sensitive matters affecting race relations in the country.  With all these tomfooleries by some UMNO chauvinists it has reflected badly on Najib and UMNO. MIC and PPP can forget about getting crucial support from the Indians. UMNO, MCA and Gerakan can also forget the same.  .

The relentless attack on Ambiga by some UMNO extremists just because she is an Indian, a Hindu, a woman and comes from a minority group has offended not only the Indians but also the majority of the Malays, Chinese and women in the country.

From Uthaya to Ambiga: Indian votes on a golden plate, again?

The series of harassments and hate speeches against Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan, in the framework of Malaysia's racial politics, may prove to be a recipe for disaster for Barisan Nasional at the coming polls.

The latest speech targeting Ambiga came yesterday in the form of a call for her execution, not from right-wing Malay groups linked to UMNO, but from none other than UMNO's member of parliament Mohamad Aziz.

If anything, Aziz's speech is the strongest proof yet that the attacks on Ambiga, who shares the chairmanship of the electoral reforms coalition with Malay poet A Samad Said, have more to do with her race and religion than the challenge she poses to the government.

This view is also echoed by Samad, who wondered why he had not suffered the kind of harassments that Ambiga had been subjected to. These include the 'butt protest' by several UMNO supporters calling themselves army veterans, and other rowdy protests outside her home.

Will such actions result in yet another protest vote against BN by the Indian electorate?

The potent force

The Indian vote bank, despite its seemingly negligible size, remains a potent force in Malaysian politics. After all, the euphoria of sympathy among Malaysian Indians over the persecution of Hindraf following the group's famous rally in 2007 had translated into votes for Pakatan Rakyat candidates in 2008.

Then, the outpouring of sympathy for detained Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar saw many constituencies with seizable Indian votes being snatched away from BN.

One such seat, Selangor's Kota Raja parliamentary seat where one-fourth of voters were Indians, was won by PAS's Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud with a whopping 20,751 majority. Four years earlier, she was defeated by MIC by a majority of 8,239 votes.

And one does not need to mention the unceremonious downfall of what was once hailed as symbol of Indian political power, MIC president S Samy Vellu, who lost the Sungai Siput seat to socialist Xavier Jeyakumar.

This time around, Ambiga, an Indian and a Hindu, may not be representing the Indian-Hindu cause. But that does not necessarily mean the attacks on her are being ignored by the Indian community. It is the kind of sympathy that is only a natural reaction of any minority communities.

Final nail in coffin?

So will the next polls see Indian votes being cast around the Ambiga factor?

"Go anywhere and talk to any Indian, they will tell you that Ambiga is their new icon," says Teluk Intan MP S Manogaran.

Aziz's speech yesterday may just be the final nail on the coffin as far as Indian support for BN is concerned.

Which explains why MIC president G Palanivel wasted no time in condemning Aziz's death call.

Yet, even while grasping what little chance he has been given to redeem himself - and thereby BN's image among Indians - Aziz chose to direct his apology to his BN comrades, not to Ambiga, the woman he had singled out to be hanged for treason.

Not long ago, many might have thought that the series of government gestures to the Indian community following the Hindraf episode would bring their votes back to BN.

Nowadays, with the continuing Ambiga episode, UMNO and its counterparts may have again delivered to Pakatan Rakyat the bulk of Indian votes on a golden plate.

-Harakahdaily

HANG AMBIGA: ’1st time in history a lawmaker has demanded the MURDER of someone’

Maria Begum

Although Bersih co-chief Ambiga Sreenevasan did not say it should be Umno-BN lawmakers who should be hung, her retort that giving away citizenship in exchange for votes is treason enough makes it clear that if anyone deserved capital punishment, it should Prime Minister Najib Razak’s coalition, which has been accused of desperate tactics to win the coming general election.

“As for treason, asking for free and fair elections is not treason. Giving away citizenship for votes is,” Ambiga was reported as saying byMalaysian Insider.

She was responding to a comment from Umno’s Sri Gading MP Mohamad Aziz, who was busy in Parliament on Tuesday night ‘defending’ his coalition on several issues.

Umno-BN has been accused of running a racket to ‘sell’ citizenships to foreign workers, including the illegals, where they are promised permanent resident status if they voted for the BN in the coming general election.

Punish this ‘samseng’

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has called for Mohamad to be punished.

“Clearly these remarks are inflammatory, designed to stir disaffection, extremism and racism. It was directed against her because she’s a woman, Hindu and Indian,”  Lim who is also the Bagan MP and Penang Chief Minister told a press conference on Wednesday.

“This is the first time in history that a lawmaker is demanding for the murder of someone.”

DAP elected representatives plan to lodge simultaneous police reports against Mohamad for his “samseng-like”, “seditious” and “racist” remarks against Ambiga, the receipient of the prestigious Women of Courage award from the US and the Knight of the Legion of Honour award from France.

Is this the ‘quality’ of Umno MPs?

Mohamad Aziz’s reckless replies aimed to stir controversy raised eyebrows – sparking speculation that he was trying to “catch Najib’s attention”.

“Shouldn’t we also hang Ambiga for treason towards the King? Traitors should be punished as harshly as possible,” the Sri Gading MP had told Parliament.

He was referring to the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally for clean elections, where violence erupted after the police launched one of the bloodiest crackdowns on civilians in recent history .

Malaysia will have to hold its 13th general election by the first half of 2013 and Najib has said he is now in process of finalizing the final list of ‘winnable’ candidates.

Hanging Ambiga as surreal as using Bersih 3.0 to topple the BN

More than 250,000 Malaysians had crowded the vicinity of the Dataran Merdeka venue of the Bersih sit-in protest. All had gone smoothly and crowd control was exemplary until an hour before the 4pm closing time, when the police suddenly fired tear gas canisters directly into the crowd.

LRT stations were closed off and the civilian protesters found themselves trapped at the mercy of ‘vigilante’ groups of police personnel. Hundreds of people were severely beaten and arrested.

Najib has blamed the violence on Opposition Leader Awar Ibrahim and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, insisting that the police were forced to take tough action as Anwar and his Pakatan Rakyat coalition were using the rally to topple the BN government.

Despite nationwide ridicule for Najib’s claims, and the mountain of visual evidence that showed they were untrue, the PM and Umno president has stuck to his allegation and has charged Anwar and Azmin for breaking the controversial Peaceful Assembly law.

“‘Off with her head!!’ Sounds like Alice in Wonderland! The statement, of course, reflects more on the maker than on me. But seriously, I have a question for this MP. Are the reforms sought by Bersih going to be fully implemented before the 13th GE?” said Ambiga.

Mahathir tells Marina to behave herself to promote Mukhriz

Fresh from publicly endorsing his son Mukhriz for the Kedah chief minister's seat, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad next trained his sights on his daughter - Marina.

Urging the sometimes outspoken Marina to be 'sensitive' of how her often liberal behavior could affect her brother's political chances, the 86-year-old Mahathir revealed for the first time his parenting skills to the nation.

And it is clear, as far as the Mahathir family goes, politics come first.

“I do hope she will realise what she is doing is not good for herself, not good for the government party at least. She should also be sensitive about her brother who is contesting in the election,” Mahathir said during an interview with online television station The Malaysian Observer (MobTV).

He had been asked to comment on Marina, an AIDS/HIV activist and open supporter of the Bersih rallies for clean elections - two issues that Mahathir is openly and vehemently against but which Marina apparently endorses.

Drawing a line

Just a day ago, Mahathir warned that allowing the LGBT community rights would lead to the end of 'mankind'.

Today, he publicly warned his daughter not to get carried away with her volunteer work and end up fighting for the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender folk.

“She never said she supports this; I hope she doesn’t. She cared for this people but she has to draw a line between them and the idea that being homosexual is okay, or men marrying men is okay,” said Mahathir.

The former PM who ruled Malaysia for 22 years from 1981 to 2003 also let slip he did not like Marina to associate herself with Bersih, the movement for free and fair elections as he believed it had been hijacked by the opposition.

However, Mahathir skirted the issue of whether he supported the principle of clean polls. This is not surprising given that his critics have often accused him of massive gerrymandering and even offering citizenship to foreign workers if they voted to keep his Umno-BN coalition in power.

Typical big-mouth Asian dad?

And in reminding Marina to be 'sensitive' for Mukhriz's sake, Mahathir revealed his own insensitivity not only by putting his daughter's interests lower than her brother's, but also by blaring to the public that she had "no ambition".

“She doesn’t care about what people think. I care about what people think. If not, I won’t get anywhere," said Mahathir.

“Maybe it’s because she has no ambition so she speaks her mind. I cannot agree with the things she is doing, but nowadays you cannot tell your children ‘please stop this, please stop that’; they have a mind of their own.”

Marina is Mahathir's eldest child and despite his current obsession in making sure Mukhriz lands the Kedah chief minister's post, it is well-known that she is his favorite offspring and their father-and-daughter relationship enviably strong.

Nonetheless, it would be interesting to ask Marina what she thinks of her dad's latest comments - has his thinking become antiquated with age or is he just another Asian dad, cherishing the sons as serious business and the daughters - mere decoration!

Mukhriz

Fresh from publicly endorsing his son Mukhriz for the Kedah chief minister's seat, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad next trained his sights on his daughter - Marina.

Urging the sometimes outspoken Marina to be 'sensitive' of how her often liberal behavior could affect her brother's political chances, the 86-year-old Mahathir revealed for the first time his parenting skills to the nation.

And it is clear, as far as the Mahathir family goes, politics come first.

“I do hope she will realise what she is doing is not good for herself, not good for the government party at least. She should also be sensitive about her brother who is contesting in the election,” Mahathir said during an interview with online television station The Malaysian Observer (MobTV).

He had been asked to comment on Marina, an AIDS/HIV activist and open supporter of the Bersih rallies for clean elections - two issues that Mahathir is openly and vehemently against but which Marina apparently endorses.

Drawing a line

Just a day ago, Mahathir warned that allowing the LGBT community rights would lead to the end of 'mankind'.

Today, he publicly warned his daughter not to get carried away with her volunteer work and end up fighting for the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender folk.

“She never said she supports this; I hope she doesn’t. She cared for this people but she has to draw a line between them and the idea that being homosexual is okay, or men marrying men is okay,” said Mahathir.

The former PM who ruled Malaysia for 22 years from 1981 to 2003 also let slip he did not like Marina to associate herself with Bersih, the movement for free and fair elections as he believed it had been hijacked by the opposition.

However, Mahathir skirted the issue of whether he supported the principle of clean polls. This is not surprising given that his critics have often accused him of massive gerrymandering and even offering citizenship to foreign workers if they voted to keep his Umno-BN coalition in power.

Typical big-mouth Asian dad?

And in reminding Marina to be 'sensitive' for Mukhriz's sake, Mahathir revealed his own insensitivity not only by putting his daughter's interests lower than her brother's, but also by blaring to the public that she had "no ambition".

“She doesn’t care about what people think. I care about what people think. If not, I won’t get anywhere," said Mahathir.

“Maybe it’s because she has no ambition so she speaks her mind. I cannot agree with the things she is doing, but nowadays you cannot tell your children ‘please stop this, please stop that’; they have a mind of their own.”

Marina is Mahathir's eldest child and despite his current obsession in making sure Mukhriz lands the Kedah chief minister's post, it is well-known that she is his favorite offspring and their father-and-daughter relationship enviably strong.

Nonetheless, it would be interesting to ask Marina what she thinks of her dad's latest comments - has his thinking become antiquated with age or is he just another Asian dad, cherishing the sons as serious business and the daughters - mere decoration!

Mahathir is an idiotic senile man who talks from his ass

Dr M: Privilege for non-Malays to keep race image

Shoppers look at Chinese New Year decorations at a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, January 18, 2012. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — Non-Malays should consider themselves privileged as the government still allows them to retain their racial identities, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed has said.

The former prime minister told online television station The Malaysian Observer (MobTV) that Malaysians were currently “more race conscious” than ever before, and that people were still segregated.

“Non-Malays are still privileged. Only in this country do people who still identify themselves in their country of origin... and are allowed to have their language, their culture, their school system,” said Dr Mahathir.

“At the moment, people are still talking about themselves, their rights and their privileges, and not just about Bumiputeras.

“We find people are still segregated; we try to do something (about it), but there are objections,” said the former PM.

Dr Mahathir (right) said past efforts to unite the country’s education system have been opposed by Chinese educationalists, and appeared to blame this on the federal opposition.

“Chinese educationalists have objected for their children to go near Malay children; this is the effect of opposition.

“If that is not racist, what is?” he asked.

Dr Mahathir has said that the general election to be held within a year will centre on race as Malaysia has become more racist than ever.

The influential former prime minister told a forum on business and politics that Barisan Nasional’s (BN) weakness, after losing its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament in the March 2008 election, has forced the coalition to cater to various racial demands.

Dr Mahathir, who led the country for 22 years before retiring in 2003, said “the current government is inherited from the previous administration which didn’t do so well. As a result, we have a weak government.

“The old leader was replaced with a new leader who is trying hard but it is not easy. He is being pressure from all sides. If he concedes to one group, other groups are unhappy. In the end the minority prevails,” he said.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak took power in April 2009, a year after Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi led the ruling BN to its worst-ever electoral performance, ceding 82 federal seats and five state governments.

In March, Abdullah, Dr Mahathir’s hand-picked successor, also said race will be the main issue for the 13th general election.

“We are always concerned about race. Because there is a tendency for certain parties to make use of these issues, as a way of getting support for them and creating problems for us,” the Kepala Batas MP said in a video interview with Bloomberg.

However, he told the business wire “the lesson we can learn is, and some people may not agree, but the fact we didn’t have two-thirds did not mean that we became weak.”

Najib took over from Abdullah ostensibly to improve on BN’s performance in the next general election.

Observers believe he will need an improvement on the 140 federal seats won and to regain some of the states lost to be assured of remaining in power.

Dr M makes his first move: Mukhriz Kedah MB 1st stop, PM next

Mahathir Mohamad has finally made his first public move towards getting his son, Mukhriz, into his former job - that of Prime Minister of Malaysia. But before the grand finale, Mukhriz has to undergo an apprenticeship of sorts first - as the Kedah Mentri Besar or chief minister.

Although not so young at age 48, Mukhriz has failed to sizzle in terms of talent, leadership or political savvy. He is certainly not ready for the top job, with critics even predicting that he won't get the cushy Kedah job either unless Mahathir pulls out all stops.

Indeed, the balding and mustachioed Mukhriz has not made any lasting impression on the nation and if his father had not pressured Prime Minister Najib Razak to appoint him the deputy trade minister, few Malaysians would have noticed his efforts at all.

“I would help him but what he does, what position he holds, is up to the party. If he is nominated for mentri besar, I will still support him. (Umno) normally does not nominate someone for mentri besar; we do not know whether we are going to win so it is usually a nomination of either state or federal seats,” Mahathir said during an interview with online television station The Malaysian Observer (MobTv).

Can PAS be displaced so easily

Speculation has been rife that Mahathir had initially eyed a vice presidency at their Umno party for Mukhriz, paving the way for him to become the next deputy prime minister. However, as Mahathir himself admitted, Mukhriz could not command enough support.

Even in Kedah Umno, Mukhriz and his dad are facing a challenge from other established division leaders who do not see why they should have to give way - pointing out that through the years both father and son had spent most of their attention on federal matters rather than on the state.

One such leader is the Kedah Umno chief Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah.

Recently, when asked by the media to comment on talk that Mukhriz was being considered for the Kedah chief minister's post, Ahmad Bashah dryly pointed out that the state government was now held by the Pakatan Rakyat. The current MB is PAS' Azizan Abdul Razak.

Ahmad Bashah minced no words when he reminded his party to focus on wresting back the state government rather than build castles in air for Mukhriz, who is currently the Kedah Umno deputy chief.

Indeed, at the recent PAS rally held in Kedah, nearly 100,000 members turned in a show of support that startled Umno, with party strategists rushing to alert Najib and Mahathir.

Selling Mukhriz based on his 'youth' but is Mukhriz really so young

Kedah voters rejected old faces in the 2008 election when BN led by Umno lost the state, with Pakatan winning 20 of the 36 state seats. This 'youth' factor is being used by the Mahathir camp to 'sell' Mukhriz.

A slew of media articles have been churned in the Umno-controlled newspapers that extoll his 'fine' qualities, with 'friendly' anaylsts publicly opining that he is the best choice for Kedah because he is popular amongst people below 50 years of age.

Meanwhile, Mahathir acknowledged that his son had failed to shine. He said Mukhriz was still “struggling” to establish himself politically. Mahathir blamed this on himself as he had refused to let Mukhriz go into politics when the latter was younger.

“As far as Mukhriz is concerned I knew he was interested. By not allowing him to go into politics when I was PM, he couldn’t start as early as I did. So he did not have that head start. He’s struggling, finding things very difficult, he has to establish himself,” said Mahathir who was the country's 4th PM and ruled from 1981 to 2003.

More bogus and humbug?

Mahathir reiterated what he has often said in various press interviews before - that he did not want to be accused of nepotism or trying to create a family legacy.

“It was very selfish, I was thinking about myself. I told them no politics, no business with government. After I retire they can do it,” said Mahathir.

Sad to say, few Malaysians find Mahathir credible any more. Most blame him for the country's endemic corruption and cronyism.

And if he was indeed truthful, it is odd how two of his other sons have made the list of richest men in the region if he only allowed them to get started on serious business after his retirement in 2003.