Mahathir depends on the Chinese even more now
This is what is called poetic justice — when a person is forced to lick back his own spit and do precisely what he criticised others of doing. Where will Mahathir put his face now? From 2006 to 2016, he warned the Umno Malays about losing the country to the ‘foreign powers’. In 2013, he attacked Najib for giving too much face to the Chinese while neglecting the Malays. In 2016, he accused Najib of selling Malaysia to China. And, today, Mahathir is begging China to import durians from Malaysia to ‘Help Make Malaysia Great Again’.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
During the 2013 general election or GE13, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad attacked Najib Tun Razak and accused him of ‘wasting time’ with the Chinese while ‘neglecting’ the Malays who keep Umno in power.
It is the Malays who keep Umno in power, Mahathir argued, while the Chinese will never support Umno whatever you may do for them.
Yes, in the 2008 general election, it is said that 85% of the Chinese voted against Umno and Barisan Nasional. In the 2013 general election, it increased to 90%, and in the recent general election, it spiralled to 98%.
In short, almost every single Malaysian Chinese voted for DAP-Pakatan Harapan.
Mahathir goes running to China after accusing Najib of selling Malaysia to China
Back in 2006, Mahathir toured the country warning the Umno members that the Malays are going to be slaves in their own nation (hamba di negara sendiri) if they do not unite against the ‘foreign powers’. Mahathir reminded the Umno Malays about what happened to Melaka in 1511. Mahathir spoke in Kota Bharu, Johor Bharu, Alor Setar, Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, and many other places.
The message was clear. If the Malays fight amongst themselves, if the Malays do not come under one umbrella, if the Malays do not unite, then they are going to lose their country to the ‘foreign powers’. And you do not need to be a genius to understand what Mahathir was trying to say.
Ten years later, in 2016, Mahathir did a complete U-turn. When he realised he no longer had the support of the Malays he turned to the Chinese. And in 2018 this gambit paid off when Pakatan Harapan managed to oust Umno-Barisan Nasional in GE14.
For ten years from 2006 to 2016 Mahathir had warned the Malays about losing their country to the ‘foreign powers’. In the end Mahathir had to work with the same ‘foreign powers’ to come to power. And today Mahathir is in China to beg the foreign powers to help save Malaysia’s economy.
Chances are, due to the Iran situation, over the next two years the price of oil is going to double. If that happens then Petronas will be able to double its contribution to the government coffers. Then by 2020 Mahathir will be able to announce that Malaysia’s economy has recovered and there is no longer any financial crisis, and that it is all because of him and his Pakatan Harapan government.
Mahathir has to swallow his pride and turn to Geely for help
Because of this fantastic economic performance, people will beg Mahathir to stay on as Prime Minister and ‘Help Make Malaysia Great Again’. After a while, the price of oil will return to today’s level and Mahathir will hand over power to the next Prime Minister, who will now have to grapple with falling oil prices and a huge budget deficit. In the meantime, Mahathir hopes China will plug the gap until the oil prices double over the next two years. So, again, the Chinese will help Mahathir like they did in May 2018.
Today, Mahathir cannot whack the Chinese or those who are ‘tools of the Chinese’ like he did from 2006 to 2016 and like how he whacked Najib in 2013 during GE13. He also cannot accuse the Prime Minister of selling Malaysia to China because he is now the Prime Minister and he is now in China begging for money.
This is what is called poetic justice — when a person is forced to lick back his own spit and do precisely what he criticised others of doing. Where will Mahathir put his face now? From 2006 to 2016, he warned the Umno Malays about losing the country to the ‘foreign powers’. In 2013, he attacked Najib for giving too much face to the Chinese while neglecting the Malays. In 2016, he accused Najib of selling Malaysia to China. And, today, Mahathir is begging China to import durians from Malaysia to ‘Help Make Malaysia Great Again’.
