He's Back! A Monumental Task Awaits Mahathir!

[bakr...@juno.com]

 

 

 

 

He’s Back!  A Monumental Task Awaits Mahathir! 

 M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com

 

When most Malays half his age are obsessed with attending mosques and consumed with pondering their fate in the Hereafter, Mahathir was in his elements campaigning. It was not so much a campaign as a mission to save his nation. And he did it with the messianic zeal of a man driven.

 

     The results showed. Malaysia got rid of her corrupt and incompetent leader Najib Razak, the US Department of Justice’s “Malaysian Official 1” who had been plundering the nation and corrupting her values. Mahathir decapitated UMNO. Najib did not even have the dignity to address his UMNO members on election night. No class; the Bugis lanun(pirate) in him showing.

 

     Mahathir personifies the true Islam. He acts on the central Koranic injunction Amal ma’ruf, nahi mungkar(Command good; forbid evil). In getting rid of Najib and his team of plunderers, Mahathir forbids evil from gripping his country. In galvanizing Malaysians to vote their conscience and without fear, Mahathir commanded them to do good. 

 

     Mahathir is a better representative of Islam than those Koran-thumping, hadith-quoting bearded ulamas in their overflowing Arab-wannabe robes.

 

     At 92 Mahathir could not afford to revel in his victory. He has a monumental task ahead and precious little time to execute it. The last decade and a half have been more than just a colossal waste. The country has slipped further downhill and is now hopelessly corrupt, heavily indebted, and her institutions corroded. Most of all her values have been perverted. Bribes from the Arabs are now regarded as borkat(gifts) from the holy land of the prophet if not Almighty himself.

 

     During the campaign Mahathir pledged to punish those responsible for 1MDB, in particular Najib. That should remain Mahathir’s top priority. Unless Najib is punished, and punished hard, others following including those in Mahathir’s own new team would be tempted to follow in that evil path. 

 

     Mahathir should also focus on two other objectives:  developing future leaders and rebuilding ravaged institutions. The two go hand in hand. Let others run the country. He is fortunate in having many young and capable members elected with him. Learn from his earlier fiascos of picking duds like Abdullah, Najib, and others.

 

     Mahathir’s campaign promise of a royal commission on 1MDB would be too slow and cumbersome. A better and swifter route would be to appoint a special prosecutor who could file charges as soon as there is enough evidence instead of having to wait for the final report which could be months or years with a royal commission. 

 

     As an immediate step the special prosecutor should impound the passports of all those involved, including and especially MO1, as well as its former and present directors and CEOs. As Najib’s cabinet was or should have been involved with 1MDB’s decisions, ours being a cabinet government and thus with collective responsibility, I would also impound their passports.  

 

     The special prosecutor should pick the best forensic accountants and most aggressive litigators. Such talents are rare in the Malaysian public sector, so give the special prosecutor leeway in hiring from abroad if need be. Besides, Malaysians are so polarized now that it would be difficult to get someone local who is impartial.

 

     Malaysia should co-operate with USDOJ and seek separate legal representations I the current suit. There are plenty of American lawyers who have been following the case closely. They would be expensive but even more so if Malaysia were not to be represented. 

 

     The best candidate for that special prosecutor would be former Attorney-General Gani Patel as he already has considerable background knowledge. It was rumored that he had prepared the arrest papers for Najib a few years back, and the reason he was fired. 

 

     The 1MDB mess should also prompt Mahathir to reassess the whole concept of GLCs. They are now nothing but conduits for political corruption. Sell them all! Focus on building institutions not companies. Leave that to enterprising individuals.

 

     Two things are clear with the destruction of the nation’s institutions. First, that started during Mahathir’s time. To his credit he has owned up to his responsibility. However, Najib and Abdullah have taken the destruction to a whole new level. 

 

     Focus on two critical institutions – the police and Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). Don’t fire their current chiefs; instead let them stay on and select a new number two with the clear understanding that he would investigate his superior as well as all other senior officers. Again as Malaysians have been so polarized it is unlikely that you would get a local candidate who would be viewed as nonpartisan. Recruit from abroad. Besides, a local second in command by culture would hesitate to investigate his superior.

 

     The functions of the new de facto chiefs would be to investigate the current top officers for possible criminal conduct and prosecute them. If found guilty they would then lose their pensions. That would serve justice better than just firing them or letting them resign. The other equally critical function is to nurture talent within their departments.

 

     If the police and ACA are efficient and trustworthy, the whole government machinery would be clean.

 

     The police and ACA should troll the Internet for those videos where cold cash had been distributed openly during the campaign. Identify the perpetrators and use them on threat of prosecution to “flip” their kakis(superiors) who withdrew all that cash. In addition scrutinize the bank statutes to see whether banks should report those who made large cash withdrawals weeks before the election. That should lead to many fruitful trails.

 

     As for nurturing talents, Mahathir had picked many duds before. In addition to spectacular ones like Abdullah and Najib, there are the Shahrizat Jalils, Tajuddin Ramlis, and hosts of others. However Mahathir had also groomed many stars like Daim Dzainuddin, Rafidah Aziz, Vincent Tans, former Petronas Chief Hassan Merican, among others. Tap their skills; have them screen and evaluate potential new candidates for his admistration. 

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     Beyond the police and ACA, other key institutions Mahathir should focus on are our schools and colleges. Make them the pride of our people, not skyscrapers, companies, or palaces. Make teachers the respected profession and the first choice of our young, as before. 

 

     Allah has been gracious and generous to Mahathir in giving him a chance to rectify his errors. I am gratified with his immediate post-victory statement of seeking a pardon for Anwar and bringing him into the administration. Much have flowed under the bridge between the two; there is little need and even much less value in going over that. Instead the pair should focus on developing the next generation of leaders and in guiding Malaysia’s historic first female Prime Minister. I wish both Anwar and Mahathir much success. The nation owes both much.