Bugatti, Ferraris and doing things right!

Tun Mahathir is many things to many people. Whatever he wants to project himself as, he does so because, as a political animal, he knows what needs to be done to win in politics. When all is said and done, he also has the intellect to be what he needs to be in order to get what he wants done. Tun wants what is best for Malaysia and Malaysians.

At the risk of being the target of your ire, I want to ask why is there so much hatred and contempt for Tun Mahathir?

Surely you can all see that it was Tun who choose to have Tommy Thomas as AG, Guan Eng as Minister of Finance, and appointed other non-Malays to the cabinet? Not many Malay PMs would have the courage to put non-Malays in important Ministries. Race, not meritocracy, would guide them in their choice of Ministers. Not Tun.

He began the process of change in PH. Maybe not as fast as you would want it to be done...but he started the process of real change and went after the corrupt with a vengeance. Yes it took years, but even when PH was out of government, the process to bring these corrupt politicians to justice, could not be stopped, and years later we are seeing the fruits of Tun's labor.

So why is there, today, much contempt and hatred...yes hatred....for Tun Mahathir?

Because his children have done well in business?

And why not?

For sure, the fact that they were Tun Mahathir's children gave them the opportunity to get to where there are now...millionaires or billionaires. Their father can help them all he wants, but if they themselves are not able to manage their responsibilities and businesses well, they too will go the way of other PM's sons and other Umno's leaders sons who have been given the same business opportunities, but ended as failures...or worse, as bankrupt. Once their father was out of power, they no longer have the crutch to keep them in business at the level that they were accustomed to when their father was in power. And so they failed miserably.

The same cannot be said of Tun Mahathir's children.

They have all taken advantage of their station in life and of Tun Mahathir's position as ex-PM, and built on these advantages and continue to do well in business even when Tun is no longer president of Umno or BN's leader. So you cannot begrudge Tun's children for having done well in business.

There are Chinese, Indians, and Malays who have had the opportunities that Tun's children have had...and yet they have failed. Abdullah Ang, Eric Cheah, Tan Koon Swan, and Ting Pek Khing among others. And we know of the many failed business ventures undertaken under the political umbrella of MIC.

There are many Malays who have failed and even filed for bankruptcy because once their father no longer has political power, they are dead meat.

But there are many Chinese, Indians, and Malays who have succeeded when given these business opportunities. Daim, Syed Mokhtar AlBukhary, Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim, Vincent Tan, Lee Kim Yew, Francis Yeoh, Sunway group chairman Jeffrey Cheah, Arumugam, Ananda and, of course, Mahathir's children.

Whether they failed or succeeded, much depends on what they do with the opportunities given to them. So do not begrudge the fact that Tun's children can afford Bugatti's and Ferraris...with help from Daddy, they have done well. Give credit where credit is due.