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Once dutifully ignored by both the political elite and the local press, Tun Dr Mahathir is again being feted at Umno party functions. Bruce Gale, The Straits Times
Is Malaysia about to get another taste of Mahathirism? There are many who think so, and it is easy to see why. On October 9, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi announced his decision to hand over power to his deputy, a man Malaysia's former strongman has long championed for the top job. The handover is expected to take place after the ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno) holds its elections in March. Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad had been calling for the resignation of Datuk Seri Abdullah for months. His attacks on the Prime Minister became more shrill after national elections earlier this year resulted in the government losing its two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time since 1969. Five states also fell under the control of opposition parties.
Once dutifully ignored by both the political elite and the local press, Tun Dr Mahathir is again being feted at Umno party functions. The former prime minister is also getting plenty of media attention after appearing to give his blessing to the new leadership now coalescing around Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak. "The country is witnessing the return of Mahathirism, with the former prime minister seen as having become the single most powerful and influential individual" in the ruling party, argues opposition veteran Lim Kit Siang of the Democratic Action Party. But while Dr Mahathir would probably find the idea of being the power behind the throne attractive, it is difficult to imagine things working out like that. After all, Dr Mahathir's attacks were not the only - or even the most important - reason Abdullah lost support within Umno. And however much Datuk Seri Najib might want to avoid alienating his influential supporter in the early months of his administration, one of the first things the new prime minister can be expected to do is demonstrate that he is no pushover. Thus, while Najib may meet Dr Mahathir from time to time, he will also be anxious to demonstrate that it is he - and not the latter - who is running the country. Indeed, this may be exactly the approach his party colleagues expect. After months of indecision in the face of the challenge posed by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Umno leaders would almost certainly welcome a strong prime minister. But some would argue that this is exactly what they mean by a return to Mahathirism - strong leadership. After a brief flirtation with a more tolerant political atmosphere under Abdullah, they argue, Malaysia is about to revert to the political repression and media censorship that characterised Dr Mahathir's 22-year rule. Those who believe that Najib will take this path point to the use of the controversial Internal Security Act in September against two journalists and a Selangor executive councillor. "Mr Abdullah doesn't have that in him. On his own, he would not have done it, so he must be under tremendous pressure. Those measures are an indication of what's to come," former law minister Zaid Ibrahim told Agence France-Presse earlier this month. But there is more to Mahathirism than mere authoritarianism. A vocal critic of Western-style globalisation, Dr Mahathir has long had harsh words for US-dominated international financial institutions. When in office, he was also known as an economic nationalist whose approach to development involved the identification and support of key businessmen whom he believed shared his nationalist vision. Determined to turn the country into an industrialised nation, he poured huge amounts of money into controversial projects for electricity generation, car manufacture, steel production, and an Internet-based 'multimedia supercorridor'. One of Dr Mahathir's main complaints about Abdullah was that he cancelled or downgraded many of these schemes. The fact is, however, that Najib is unlikely to reverse Abdullah's decisions on these schemes. This was illustrated last month, when Najib backed the decision of state-owned car manufacturer Proton to sell its stake in heavily indebted subsidiary MV Agusta Motors Spa. Dr Mahathir, who is Proton's adviser, enthusiastically supported the US$112 million purchase of a 57.7 per cent stake in the motorbike manufacturer in 2004. Proton sold the stake in 2006 for a nominal S$1.90 to an Italian company, saying the acquisition had been a blunder. Rejecting Dr Mahathir's call for an investigation into the sale, Najib - who is also currently finance minister - told parliament that Proton sold the company to avoid being saddled with further losses. As prime minister, Najib may seek to keep Dr Mahathir engaged. But he will probably keep him at arm's length. With wide experience in government, strong links to royal houses in Johor and Pahang, and a political pedigree few of his contemporaries can match - his father was Malaysia's second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak - Najib is unlikely to be intimidated by what remains of the former strongman's charisma. And with a major global recession looming, he will have plenty of reason to distance himself from Dr Mahathir's controversial and sometimes offbeat views on economics. Will Malaysia return to Mahathirism? Not likely.
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