Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - Trust 'party pooper' Mahathir Mohamad to be the first to prick narcissistic Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ego balloon! But then again, one of his cronies has been 'attacked' and no one trifles with Mahathir - Malaysia's two-time former prime minister and legendary strongman and gets away with it.
Especially not Anwar, the political nemesis whom Mahathir has never taken much trouble to hide his contempt for.
In a Facebook posting titled 'The Rule of Law', Mahathir in his trademark sarcasm took a swipe at Anwar, whose government recently seized a skyscraper belonging to former finance minister Daim Zainuddin as part of a corruption and money-laundering probe.
Mahathir called for those with the title 'Tun" (bestowed by the King only to those who have contributed greatly to the country) to be "remanded until they reveal the source of their money. If they don’t it must be because they are hiding."
Both Mahathir and Daim are Tuns. Anwar's supporters have long blamed Daim as being among the masterminds who allegedly 'fabricated' the first round of sodomy charges that got Anwar sacked in 1998 and then jailed for same-sex coitus and abuse of power.
MAHATHIR HITS BULLS-EYE ON ANWAR
But it was the way the 98-year-old Mahathir put down Anwar for the political hypocrisy of going after perceived political foes - whether for revenge or fear of they might outshine him - that will stick the most.
"Corruption must be eradicated at all cost. If the AG is of the opinion that the accusations are due to politics, it is the right of the AG not to continue prosecution. Passports should be returned. This is the right of the AG. The courts must not question the decision of the AG," wrote Mahathir.
"Malaysia truly follows the rule of law. Even a first offender must accept the full force of the rule of law. If whipping is mandatory then the offender must be whipped."
Mahathir was clearly referring to how Anwar's government suddenly and controversially freed Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi from an ongoing corruption trial. Zahid, who is also the Umno president, is Anwar's key ally whose support is crucial for Anwar's survival as PM.
In the second instance, Mahathir was referring to Syed Saddiq, the Muar MP recently found guilty of misappropriation of funds and shockingly sentenced to two strokes of the cane in addition to seven years jail and RM10mil fine.
The fast-rising Syed Saddiq had angered Anwar's Pakatan Harapan coalition by withdrawing from their unity government, ostensibly as a matter of principle, after Zahid was given his discharge. In the 2022 general election, Anwar had promised voters Zahid would not be given any favors in his court cases in exchange for political support.
TRANSPARENCY WANTED, NOT HYPOCRISY
Both the Zahid and Syed Saddiq cases have deeply angered the public, creating widespread unease that perhaps the Anwar administration was not new, clean and transparent government that Malaysians have longed for.
While the probe against the immensely wealthy Daim is mostly welcome, many also question Anwar's perceived duplicity over his own pal Zahid's discharge and suspect the overly harsh sentence against Syed Saddiq was another instance of political revenge and jealousy.
"I agree completely that Tuns should be investigated. If they cannot explain where or how they got the money, their property should be seized," wrote Mahathir in a Dec 27 posting dripping with cynicism.
"It is not necessary to obtain documentary evidence of their misdeeds. Suspicions alone should be enough.
"Tuns should not only be investigated. They should also be remanded until they reveal the source of their money. If they don’t it must be because they are hiding.
"Corruption must be eradicated at all cost. If the AG is of the opinion that the accusations are due to politics, it is the right of the AG not to continue prosecution. Passports should be returned. This is the right of the AG. The courts must not question the decision of the AG.
"Malaysia truly follows the rule of law. Even a first offender must accept the full force of the rule of law.
"If whipping is mandatory then the offender must be whipped.
"In Malaysia the law is supreme. We must all abide by it."
Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!
Politics Now!
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