A gentler Dr M in his twilight years

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a man full of contradictions. But as he said so himself, it is all politics. And politics are inherently dirty, no?

Regardless of what his admirers and detractors think or say about this man, I still find it pleasantly surprising that for all his well-known stubborn streak and huge ego, he has somehow summoned up the courage to admit some of his mistakes and acknowledge certain truths about this country which he had, while in power, strenously kept a tight lid on during his 22 years of draconian rule.

Is he mellowing in his twilight years?

Whatever his reasons for these recent displays of humility and compassion, I must admit that I respect his ability to speak his mind and his heart on matters which surely must have weighed in heavily upon his shoulders all through those years. I am referring in particular to his sentimental and remorseful re-cap of the bitter feud between him and our first prime minister and Bapa Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman.

It has taken him all these years to acknowledge the Tunku's contributions to this blessed nation.

But as they say, better late than never. And for this, I'll say Dr M has finally shown a side of him that most of us thought we'd never see in his larger than life personality.

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PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia continues to enjoy political stability and sustainability as the majority of its people realise the importance of the need to share and be prepared to make sacrifices. They also reject extremism.

These were some of the key success factors in developing the country, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday.

He said being a multi-racial and multi-cultured nation, Malaysia has all the ingredients for instability.

"Our cultures and languages are different and we are poles apart. But somehow or rather, the Government has managed this very well, resulting in continued stability and development," he said in a speech at the fourth Perdana Discourse Series held at Perdana Leadership Foundation, of which he is the honorary president.

The principle of power-sharing enabled Malaysia to remain politically stable, with leaders sensitive enough to know its importance.

"If you think this (country) is the Malays’ land and we should not be sharing it with the others, the country cannot grow," Dr Mahathir said.

In order to remain stable, power-sharing must continue while extremism must be rejected.

"By and large, this is the feeling of the majority of Malaysians. Malaysians are moderate people and they are not keen to destabilise the nation, but extremists like Ayah Pin or Azahari Husin (the Malaysian shot dead for bombings in Indonesia) must be watched.

"They must not be allowed to influence the people as they can cause disunity and chaos.

"You need to have strong hands to stop people from becoming violent and you must put a stop to extremism."

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman was instrumental in promoting party coalition and spelling out the ideas of wealth and power-sharing.

"Coalition is indeed a better formula than a single party. We owe all this to Tunku.

"Nowadays, when I look at the letters where I wrote all the nasty things about Tunku... how could I be so rude to the old man? But that is politics."

Asked on the formation of the Inter-faith Commission, Dr Mahathir said: "I think it is good to enable people to discuss religious matters in a rational way. There is no way religions can be made identical. Inter-faith is very important.

"If you have strong faith, it will not change your religion. There is nothing to fear, but we must have rational people and not emotional people talking about religions."

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Today is Holy Thursday, and tomorrow, on April 14 the Tamil Hindu community will usher in their New Year, while the Sikh community will celebrate Vasakhi. And of course, April 14 is also Good Friday to Christians who will commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Thus, this Friday is a significant day to the Tamil Hindus, the Sikhs and the Christians. It commemorates the beginning of a New Year, the birth of a brotherhood and the death of an innocent to save the world, respectively.

In the context of multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia, this week is indeed significant because our Muslim community also celebrated the Prophet Muhammad's birthday last Tuesday.

Indeed, this holy week which started with Palm Sunday on the 9th will end with Easter Sunday this weekend on the 16th.

I wish all those who are participating in the festivities a joyous occasion and may we all be showered with wonderful blessings for a peaceful and prosperous year ahead.

God Bless.