Mahathir vs. Pak Lah: A Narrative in Three Parts [Part 1]

PART 1: Prologue

Malaysians have a lot of diversions on their hands lately and the recently started World Cup tournament - though being able to captivate audiences numbering the billions from all over the globe - is merely one of the distractions being afforded to us Malaysians nowadays.

The other is of course the on-going skirmish between the former and the current Prime Minister, Mahathir and Pak Lah.

Although the battle between these two individuals have been simmering for the past few months, it has entered a whole new level last week when Mahathir unleased his most scathing and personal attack yet upon Pak Lah, coming close to denouncing his authority as the democratically elected Prime Minister of Malaysia.

I believe that many Malaysians - especially those of my generation who had never known life under any other Prime Minister than Mahathir - are unnerved and slightly shaken by spectacle unfolding before their eyes.

We had lived the most parts of our lives venerating and looking up to the vision, wisdom and courage of Mahathir.

We have roamed the places which he had so boldly conceived and planned such as KLCC, KLIA and Putrajaya.

We have enjoyed the plush comforts which his unrestrained drive for excellence has brought us such as the advent of satellite TV like ASTRO or the rapid proliferation of Internet technology like broadband.

Our worldview have been coloured by his own with our gaze shifted from the West to the East, tinged by a small dose of antagonism towards Western ideas.

In short, his influence and persona has permeated our daily lives, our mindset, our attitude and our way of doing things.

For us, the memories of the previous three Prime Ministers are nothing more than just dry descriptions confined to the history books, which seemed to belong to some distant and obscure past of our country.

But Mahathir's contributions and achievements feel conveniently accessible to us.

We expect that with his retirement, the verdict on his contributions to the country have been passed, thus forever sealing his rightful place in the country's history.

We thought that his legacies will remain untouched, unquestioned and preserved for posterity.

Pak Lah's ascension to power marks a new chapter in the country's history; he instituted his own brand of administration upon the country, implementing various ambituous reform measures and radically changing the country's economic and social priorities.

Gradually, several of the projects and plans initiated during Mahathir's era were put on hold or terminated altogether.

We were told that certain expenditures that are acceptable under Mahathir are no longer acceptable under Pak Lah. We were told to adjust our lifestyle to cope with the rising prices of world commodities and basic necessities.

However, we were also given a wider forum for expression; we were encouraged to speak out againsts the misconducts of government officials and were promised wide-ranging reforms to battle bureaucratic red tapes and corruption.

Pretty soon, the first salvo was fired by Mahathir regarding the distribution of the Approved Permits (AP) for imported vehicles; then it was about the management (or rather the mis-management) of Proton.

From then on, the feelings of discontent and resentment slowly snowballed over the months.

The final blow came when the Government decided to shelve the convoluted half bridge project replacement to the current causeway between Johor and Singapore when Mahathir accused the Government of selling out the dignity and interests of the country.

Suffice to say, things didn't become any better since then for it has already passed the point of no return.