'The obvious acid test of a liar is that he readily and proudly declares another person a liar without realising himself being the damned one.'

Our response to Dr M's memoirs

Alan Goh: Puan Kalsom Taib, I bought the book ‘From Estate Boy to ACA Chief', just to find out more about the lies from the ex-PM, and you did right by defending Shafee Yahaya's integrity.

Shafee, from his humble beginning, was brought up as a simple and honest man. Sadly, honesty is seldom found in our present breed of civil servants and it speaks volumes of the legacy left behind by this doctor's 22 years of corrupted rule.

Not only did this doctor left behind a corrupted, civil society, he blames the police for the 1988 Operation Lallang, the Agong for the sacking of the Lord President, the ex-governor of BNM (Bank Negara) - another truly honest civil servant - for the billions losses caused by the speculation of the ringgit.

Worse still, the racial polarisation seen today is the caused by a creature named BTN (Biro Tatanegara), another success story of the doctor in the house.

Freedom: Our greatest respect - from Malaysians from all walks of life - to Shafee Yahaya and wife, Kalsom Taib. The people of Malaysia is stripping the Master Machiavelli of all his masks and clothes, little by little, to show who he really is. The truth will set us free.

Fence Sitter: The BN government should have more Shafees so Malaysia will be a better place. How on earth can our ex-PM question the ACA DG (Anti-Corruption Agency director-general) for raiding one of his senior officer's office?

Shafee, do have a good retirement.

Nicole: Dear Datuk and Datin, your openness with regards to corruption and seeking the truth whoever, wherever or whenever, even if it hurts, simply means that you are still the same people that all of us love to be associated with.

Many senior servants will never go to that extra length you have taken. Perhaps it is your destiny to be what you are. I wish both of you very best of health and many, many more books to come. God bless you and your family.

By Election Fan: Datuk Shafee, you deserve the respect of all Malaysians as a honourable public servant who served to the interests of our nation and people, not those of the politicians in power. I supposed most of Malaysiakini readers believe you.

Anybody with a proper sense of mind will never believe Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He has lost all his credibility years ago.

Raja Chulan: We never expect Mahathir to tell the truth. Mahathir is a gutter politician after all. He tells different versions of the same story/event to different people differently to suit his audience and his own ego. This extraordinary ability of his is what made him the longest-serving PM.

Thus, you will find many contradictions and inaccuracies in his memoirs as pointed out by many. A person who consistently tell lies will after awhile cannot differentiate even to himself what is a lie and the truth. He himself gets confused and starts believing a lie as truth and truth as a lie that he has created some time ago.

We nevertheless pray that the God will forgive him.

Pakman: Kalsom Taib, you are a good wife who is willing to defend your husband's integrity and stand with him through the thick and thin. Your response to Mahathir's memoirs has been forthcoming since these stories had been well-known within the inner circle of the Mahathir's regime.

SK Lee: Datin Kalsom Taib tells the truth. I have read her book. She is credible. As for the person with selective amnesia, his book is not worth the while to read. Just dismiss it as a politician trying his damnedest to justify whatever misdeeds he had committed.

Kalsom, I respect your courage and that of your hubby to stand up for the truth.

Not Confused: No one in authority here is in the least bit interested in the truth, only to preserve their own gravy train and will lie, cheat and subvert to achieve their ends. This seems to be true of everyone in this corrupt government, from the PM downwards.

This country will continue to sink into the mire until there is a major change in the government philosophy and the return of integrity and honesty.

Swipenter: By now is it obvious to us Malaysians that TDM is man unable to forgive or accept anyone that does agree with him and his views. He has shown himself as a unforgiving man full of hate and would ruthlessly "finish off " all those who go against his wishes and policies.

Look all those deputies of his, chosen successors, opposition politicians, senior judges, senior government servants who opposed him during his tenure as PM and even after his retirement. How he makes their lives difficult.

Yes, it takes a lot of selflessness, bravery and courage to go against TDM when he was the PM.

Passing Cloud: Shafee Yahaya, as a former DG of ACA, you had apparently done your duty according to your job requirements and on good terms with your conscience. The people can't expect more, and you can sleep in thunder.

But not this generally-perceived ex-dictator PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The devil in him emerges from behind a facade when the people begin to superimpose all the gradually-revealed irreparable damage he did to the country onto his 22-year tenure as PM; for example, notably, laying the foundation for widespread corruption and abuse of power, besides enriching his family members.

He shouldn't be allowed to keep justifying himself and bamboozling the common people in his just-published memoir uncontested. The truth about this man, this curse, has to be made known, recorded, and condemned. So that, in the end, the real Mahathir is unmasked for all and sundry to see.

Pietiring: Ibu Kalsom, I've the highest respect and appreciation in you for coming out to defend your beloved husband. Today truth is a very, very rare gem and it's only earned through the process of honesty, responsibility, dedication, competency, accountability, trustworthy, and last but not the least, fear in God.

Truth does not perpetuate in vacuum but nurtured together with sound and proven system of check and balances. Gone was the time when truth was craved as a life-culture carried with pride and dignity. When the system of check and balances was undermined, truth has been reduced to mere lip-service.

The obvious acid test of a liar is that he readily and proudly declares another person a liar without realising himself being the damned one.

Habib RAK: Former ACA DG Shafee Yahya's book should be made a must read for all MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) officers. MACC chief Abu Kassim Mohamed would do well if he follows his footsteps.

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