About Time

3 November 2003


Dr. Mahathir Finally Quits

Up until Friday of last week, Malaysia had the same ruler for 22 years. Dr. Mahathir Mohamad came to power in 1981, and led his country to some sort of economic prosperity. In that time, he has imprisoned close associates, built boondoggle office buildings, and championed a prickly anti-western attitude while embracing the single measure of western success -- wealth. Malaysia deserved better.

Malaysia's Internal Security Act is, not to put too fine a point on it, a crime against humanity. Dr. M, as he is known affectionately in his home country, did not put it into place -- that happened in the early 1960s. He merely used it for 22 years. It allows the police to arrest anyone without warrant, legal council or a trial for up to 60 days (and with the permission of the Home Affairs minister, 2 years -- renewable) on suspicion that "he has acted or is about to act or is likely to act in any manner prejudicial to the security of Malaysia or any part thereof or to maintenance of essential services therein or to the economic life thereof." [Section 73 (1) of the Malaysian ISA]. People can be arrested if the police think that they are thinking bad things. Schools can be closed, political meetings banned, and a myriad of other fascist actions undertaken.

Add to that the Printing Presses and Publications Act. This requires all publications to get a license every year from the government, which can revoke it without any sort of judicial review. And, a special office at the Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry censors all publications. Efforts are underway to do to the internet press what has been done to the traditional media.

In recent weeks, Dr. M has said some stupid and silly things about the Jews, about the West and about gays. He has even managed to insult Islam while trying to defend it. Yet compared to how he has treated the polity of Malaysia for 22 years, those statements were minor mistakes.

There are voices in his favor, saying Malaysia needed a strong leader -- as did Italy in the 1920s. The country was faced with divisions that could have torn it apart -- like Spain in 1936. The country needed stability to get its economic house in order -- as did Germany in 1933. The society needed to be reorganized to grow -- like Russia in 1917. Yes, Dr. M was one of those.

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