HISTORY | Mahathir Mohamad: A divisive, provocative statesperson

HISTORY | Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s fourth and seventh prime minister, was recently in the spotlight again – albeit for the wrong reasons.

In a recent interview with a Chennai-based Indian satellite television channel, Thanthi TV, Mahathir made several factually inaccurate, divisive, and racially- prejudiced remarks which are detrimental to nation-building.

They are most unbecoming of a statesperson who holds the unique record of having served as the nation’s prime minister for a record cumulative total of 24 years.

Among those provocative and racist remarks were: Malaysian Indians as well as Chinese are not completely loyal to the country; Malaysia belongs to the Malays; non-Malays are migrants and not owners of Malaysia; the Constitution says that Malaysia is a “Malay country”; and the non-Malays should assimilate and become “Malays”.

Additionally, but not surprisingly, Mahathir also denied his own Indian roots and went on to assert he had become 100 percent Malay.

These comments would normally have been subject to ridicule and even dismissed outright as the ranting of a bigoted politician. But given his distinguished record, they deserve to be vigorously rebutted.

Clearly, Mahathir is of the view that the Indians and Chinese cannot be patriotic to Malaysia because they identify themselves with their country of origin, have their own vernacular schools, speak their own language, and practise their own culture.

Sacrificing lives

The historical truth is that the Indians and Chinese are just as patriotic as the Malays. Numerous Indians and Chinese have...