“Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.”

― Theodore Roosevelt

INTERVIEW | While Amanah leader Khalid Samad may think that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is an icon of longevity, the genuine icon of longevity is PSM’s Mohd Nasir Hashim.

Most political operatives, especially those who claim to be on the progressive side of issues, always hedge their bets during interviews. Nasir does no such thing. His principles are not the bromides that political operatives spew, but rather borne from decades in the trenches, with very little success on the horizon.

In the first of this three-part interview, Nasir describes his political awakening and his tenure in the hot seat.

Question: What is your earliest memory of the dysfunctionality of the system and when did you endeavour to attempt to make a change?

Mohd Nasir Hashim: In my early school years, I used to hate politics because it was dirty - and continues to be so.

Later, I realised that the political leaders are the ones who are dirty. Politics is supposed to harness available resources at hand to help people in need to lead a better life.

I soon discovered that those we are supposed to help did not prosper. They developed a subsidy mentality or drowned in the culture of dependency; the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer and destitute. Exploitation was legalised and politicians they sucked the poor dry through their blood, sweat and tears...