Assalammualaikum dan salam sejahtera,

Sekadar buat renungan bersama. Di sini saya sertakan satu artikel tentang pandangan dan komen dari pembaca Asiaweek edisi Februari 9, 2001 Vol. 27 No. 5 berkenaan dengan cerita MamakKutty dalam Asiaweek edisi Januari 26, 2001 Vol. 27 No. 3.

FEBRUARY 9, 2001 VOL.27 NO.5

Letters & Comment
Mahathir: 'I just don't care. I do what I think I should do, and I am satisfied with the results. I know what they say about me is not true, but I cannot make them believe otherwise.' — The PM on negative opinions of him {Jan. 26}

(Mengucaplah dan sedarlah MamakKutty, baru sat ni hang kata hang tak kisah depa nak kata apa, tup tup bila depa dok tayang gambaq hang yang senget macam hang, hang buat kecoh satu dunia....apa raa....buat malu saja. Sepatutnya hang kena sedaq Det ooii....depa bagi gambaq hang senget nak bagi hang tengok gambaq Quran kat belakang hang tu, mangkoq ayon)

It is sad to see a leader who has done so much for his country being humiliated by a member of his own party {"Mahathir's Dilemma," THE NATIONS, Jan 26}. Must Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's fate be like that of the predecessor he so mercilessly tormented 30 years ago, Tunku Abdul Rahman? It's ironic. The Tunku was hounded out of office despite having led his country to independence, and then was ignominiously ignored. The old man bitterly lamented that even the country's history books did not mention his name in recounting the path to freedom.

Will Mahathir too be left whining and sulking over an ungrateful nation while he pens his memoirs? Had Mahathir promised when he assumed power in 1981, half - no, a quarter - of what he has now achieved, it would have been dismissed as a fantasy. Mahathir should be enjoying the status of an elder statesman whose wise counsel is eagerly sought, and devoting time to his lovely grandchildren. Instead he had to endure such insolence from the anopheles of his party.

Mahathir once quipped that he would like to be succeeded by his clone. Alas, there is no budding Mahathir out there. The man has many gifts, but attracting young talented Malaysians into his cabinet is not one of them. This more than anything else is the most glaring failure of his leadership.
M. Bakri Musa
Morgan Hill, California

(Hang ni merapu apa Bakri. Hang ingat MamakKutty baguih sangat ka? Apa hang ingat kat Malaysia tadak orang yang lagi baguih dari dia ka? Hang nak harap orang UMNO(barua), pondan, kaki betina, penipu, 3K ramal la)

Dr. Mahathir is yesterday's news. He can't or won't change and has been left behind by the passage of time. He is Malaysia's malaise. Will history judge him well? Perhaps a better question is whether history will remember him at all.
Howard Hendricks, Jr.
Gary, Indiana

(MamakKutty tu bukan lagi cerita semalam ja, dah berkurun dah - dah expired kata omputih. Tadak sapa nak ingat kat dia lagi dah)

If Mahathir had retired the same time as Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore, he would have ranked among the top three Asian leaders during the second half of the 20th century. Even his critics will concede that the prime minister was largely responsible for Malaysia's economic development. It will be a shame if his political era ends with only the legacy of Anwar Ibrahim's black-eye. Mahathir is stubborn, but he is also very intelligent. Hopefully he will do what must be done to end his political career on a high note, not an "I don't care." By the way, the U.S. government loan he refers to - to Chrysler - {"When You Grow Old, You Face Reality," INTERVIEW} was repaid in full and did not harm the American taxpayers.
Myint Thein
Dallas, Texas

(Aku setuju kata hang tu Myint Thein. MamakKutty kalau dia cakap atau dibuat, semuannya nyusahkan orang, menyenangkan dia)

None within the existing Malaysian cabinet has the necessary social as well as political standing to take over the baton once Mahathir's rule comes to an end. His successor will need to have influence not only within the United Malays National Organization but among Islamic fundamentalists, the Chinese and Indian communities and the supporters of the onetime heir to the leadership, Anwar Ibrahim. The changeover will be a nightmare for the nation, which Mahathir claims to have transformed from underdeveloped to what it is today - a mega- mall replete with gigantic and grotesque buildings.
Mark M. Chan
via the Internet
Australia

(MamakKutty patutnya dah lama kena letak jawatan. Selain pemimpin kita yang disegani (DSAI), tara sapa la dalam UMNO(barua) yang boleh memimpin Malaysia)

Malaysia's Poor Indians
The Indians in Malaysia are in the plight you describe because, politically, they do not have the numbers and they contribute little to the national economy {"Forgotten Community," THE NATIONS, Jan. 26}. Any politician in his or her right mind would not take up this issue because it would not serve their career. The Indians' future is very bleak indeed.
Joe Krishnan
via the Internet

(Selagi SamyTol jadi samseng MIC, selagi tu masyarakat India tak maju, percayalah cakap cek ni. Aku kenai sangat SamyTol tu. Cakap pun berbelit belit)

http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/magazine/nations/0,8782,97634,00.html

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