Mahathir: Tell me why I am a dictator

Rakyatmalaysia: Over to you guys, do your best to demonise this man. After all, dictators never give up power, they either get thrown out or die. So tell us and detail a few instances in which he acted like a dictator. Not hearsay, but facts.

Quigonbond: This is probably the easiest intellectual exercise of them all. Subverting and neutering almost all institutions of governance including the judiciary, police, Anti-Corruption Agency (as it then was), the Election Commission, and the Attorney-General's Chambers; reducing mainstream media to mere mouthpieces of the BN government; perpetuating a state of legal emergency, using ISA numerous times on political opponents; and the list goes on.

While you don't kill millions, this does not mean you're not a dictator, but just having dictatorship in a subtler form.

Cala: Was Dr Mahathir Mohamad dictatorial and autocratic? Let me take a sentence or two from the book by economist Terence Gomez, ‘The state of Malaysia: Ethnicity, equity and reform'.

During his tenure "considerable transformations have also occurred involving the autonomy of government institutions. The monarchy, judiciary and parliament are reputed to have lost the capacity to check the executive, while the bureaucracy, military and police have apparently become extremely subservient to the office of the prime minister where enormous power has come to be concentrated".

If he was not in the league of those despots, where would you have placed him?

Abasir: Mahathir, listen up. It's wrong to call you a dictator and you should not cynically perpetuate that label by asking people to explain what is essentially not true.

Actually you were far worse, and the world has yet to find an appropriate term to describe what you have done. While dictators act in obvious ways (some of which you have described) you were a surreptitious, self-aggrandising and crafty underminer.

The appalling results of your ‘success' in undermining everything we cherish is the real reason for PM Najib Razak's GTP, ETP and all those other TPs. If you had done what real leaders do for their people, there would be no need for this orgy of TPs, which, in keeping with Umno's rent-seeking culture, is really skimmed milk masquerading as cream.

So please, do not under sell yourself by comparing your rule with those of other 'world class' dictators. You have done more damage to the country than 10 Gaddafis can do in a hundred years. You have destroyed the foundations of good governance.

Ferdtan: I am picking out what he said of other dictators to see how they measured to him.

1) "That his reign was not as bloody nor tyrannical."

Remember Memali incident - bloody enough. Not tyrannical - he must have forgotten about Operation Lallang with most of the oppostion leaders arrested under ISA.

2) "Hosni Mubarak has amassed a personal fortune of over US$70 billion and manipulated elections to favour himself."

Any idea where your sons' billions come from? What's about 'Project IC' in Sabah giving foreigners citizenships to vote for BN?

3) "There was no freedom of expression or a free press."

Does Malaysia have such freedom?

4) "Anyone can be appointed by Mubarak to be a minister. They can also be sacked at any time."

Didn't you have such great power as PM? Not only can you sack your ministers, you had even sacked your deputy PM. Also, what about the sacking of lord president Salleh Abas?

You may not killed but your deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim was beaten in jail under your watch as the chief executive of the country. That is just as bad.

Starr: No dictator in the history of the world would admit he's one. Mahathir may not be a dictator, but he certainly is an autocratic leader who doesn't tolerate decency and helms the reign of power for long durations.

As a democratic country as envisioned by the founding fathers, no prime minister should really helm the seat for more than 10 years. Anything more than that would invariably turn anyone into an autocratic leader.

The fact that Mahathir delayed handing over power several times because of lack of suitable successors is an indication of his autocratic leadership. That he survived four deputies handpicked by himself also bears testament to his autocratic traits.

His sacking of Anwar in 1998 as his deputy was perhaps most undemocratic despite the fact that he was democratically elected deputy president of Umno-BN. His continuous criticisms on his successors after retirement also lends credence to the perception.

What more evidence does he want?

Bartimaeus 2020: Tell me, can you trust a rogue who when he was studying in Singapore chose to identify himself for all official purposes as an 'Indian' but today calls himself a Malay?

When Pakatan Rakyat forms the government, a special tribunal - similar to the Nuremberg courts - must be set up to inquire into how Mahathir and his sons accumulated so much wealth.

If it can be established that Mahathir had brazenly stolen from the nation's coffers, then he and his sons must be caned in public and their wealth seized and returned to the people of Malaysia.

Anonymous #21828131: Can you answer this simple question - how is it there are millions of Malaysians who have given up on you, including me?

It cannot be because of the opposition. The results are there for all to see. Till today you are trying your best to divide the people. At 87 years of age, you are still not repenting, still full of vile deceit.

You yourself have created this monster within you. Nobody forced me to write this - this came from my heart.

GXFC: Mahathir, God will forgive you if you ask for forgiveness for the sins you have committed against Him, such as missing your prayers, fasting, etc.

But He will not forgive you for the sins and crimes you have committed against people - for example, those who suffered from your unjust actions, like Operation Lallang or sending your political rivals to jail on fabricated charges, unless you sought forgiveness from each and every one of them personally.

Don't be misled by the sycophants who praise you and tell you that you are God's gift to mankind. Your time is running out.

I don't hate you. Rather, I pity you because I doubt that even after reading all the comments and insults thrown at you in Malaysiakini , will you realise the dire situation you are in.

Billy The Kid: Tell me why I am a dictator? OMG (Oh my god), he is scared of death that is looming. I will pray for him because, of all things, he still can't repent and continuously spews venom to hurt us.

Always adding insult to injury, I pray all fires will stay away from TDM (Mahathir). I pray he will not suffer. I and all Malaysians will suffer on his behalf. May all prophets bless TDM.

History will not be kind to Mahathir

Perhaps not a dictator, but clearly an autocrat

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