“Today, Wan Azizah has conceded defeat and decided that if you can’t beat Mahathirism, you simply join it. As far as she’s concerned, if Mahathir could emasculate the Monarchical institution without remorse, she too could fly in the face of the Selangor ruler and tell him who he should pick as Menteri Besar”
THE THIRD FORCE
Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail demonstrated on Tuesday just what it would be like if Pakatan Harapan (Harapan) were to wrestle Putrajaya from Barisan Nasional. In typical Mahathirist fashion, the PKR president insisted that an apology was not in order for the Kajang move, meaning, the party had no regrets staging a by-election that led to eight months of political upheaval and cost RM1.6 million in taxpayer money.
Can you believe this lady?
The PKR president is beginning to sound more and more like Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who makes no bones about letting bygones be bygones. For instance, on the 13th of May 2017, the former premier told an Australian broadcast agency during an interview that the question of him apologizing to Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim did not arise. According to him, “the incident (Anwar’s sacking and subsequent incarceration) was in the past,” and people needed to learn to let go of bad memories.
“I didn’t send him to jail (this time) and don’t see any reason why I cannot be friendly again with him, especially because we have a common goal, that is the overthrow of the present regime,” he said.
Asked if he had apologised to Anwar during their encounter on the 5th of September last year, Mahathir had this to say:
“No, no, no. I didn’t apologise for anything. That was something in the past. We can’t be apologising for what happens in the past.”
Yes, in Mahathir’s books, there is no point delving into past misdeeds, as it serves very little purpose, if at all. Today, the same philosophy seems inscribed in Wan Azizah’s books. Last Friday, right after a Harapan meet that appointed Mahathir its chairman, she told reporters that the opposition owed no apology to the people for the Kajang move. Like Mahathir, she too ‘believed’ that people needed to let bygones be bygones, that the past was the past.
Amazing is it not?
What is more amazing is her willingness to sacrifice the very ideals PKR once stood for. Back in 1999, it was she who led a reformist agenda through a progression of movements triggered by her husband’s arrest. These movements culminated with the establishment of PKR in 2003 following the merger of Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKN) and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM).
Back then, it was all about instituting an Anwar-led government and bringing Mahathir – a man Wan Azizah swore she would never forgive – to justice. But today, it’s all about instituting a Harapan-led government, with no clue in sight as to who would eventually lead the coalition. But one thing is for sure – there is no longer talk of bringing Mahathir to justice.
Perhaps Wan Azizah has forgotten the press conference Mahathir held on the 23rd of September 1998. On that day, Mahathir accused Anwar of fanning emotions to trigger a state of Anarchy in Malaysia, likening his actions to those of Indonesian reformists who, according to the former premier, “rioted daily and tried to obstruct the normal life in the city.”
An excerpt from his statement (refer also video below) reads as follows:
“They (Anwar’s people) hope that with that they can overthrow the Government, in particular overthrow me, which is not of great consequence anyway, since I am already 73 years old and I can’t last forever.
“But the fact is that he (Anwar) urged them (his people) to do damage to the peace and order in the city and there is evidence also that he is trying to do the same in other parts of the country.
“As you know his (Anwar’s) people broke into the Umno building and destroyed pictures of past leaders in the museum. This is, of course, something that Umno members will not do. They may not like the leaders, but they are party members and will not do damage to what belongs to the party.
“But as you know, they broke in and tore the picture of past leaders of Umno. And then they marched towards my house. What their intentions were when they marched to my house was is something that I cannot be sure about, but they there were talks among them about burning the house or something like that.”
All these years, Wan Azizah maintained that none of what Mahathir said was true, that all her husband was trying to do was seek justice for the manner in which he was treated. She used to add that her husband was the “victim of a political conspiracy” contrived by Mahathir and “carried forward by subsequent administrations” rooted in Mahathirism.
As a matter of fact, she even admitted that “it was not so much Mahathir as it was Mahathirism,” insisting in one interview that the administrative megastructure was corrupt, lacking in due process and not “something you could eradicate just like that.” In other words, Wan Azizah agreed that Mahathirism was a cancer, and like all cancers, wasn’t something you could get rid of easily.
Well, today, it’s a cancer that is plaguing Harapan.
Today, Wan Azizah has conceded defeat and decided that if you can’t beat Mahathirism, you simply join it. As far as she’s concerned, if Mahathir could emasculate the Monarchical institution without remorse, she too could fly in the face of the Selangor ruler and tell him who he should pick as Menteri Besar. I mean, why the need to apologise for the Kajang move, when you have the backing of the very man who once told Malaysian rulers to go fly kites?
Tell me, is that not a trait of Mahathirism?
