i've been reading a lot about tun dr. mahathir's comments, especially about badawi. i can only say, though i am indifferent about politics in malaysia, what mahathir is saying does not reflect well on him, nor the country, contrary to what he thinks.

first, he wails that badawi is giving in to singapore, because he has agreed not to build a bridge but keep the causeway. now for all the benefits that building the bridge will give to malaysia, i am not convinced that it will give the malaysian port industry the upper hand compared to singapore. sure, port klang managed to snag evergreen, a big shipping firm, and that is no doubt a blow to psa. but honestly have you ever asked why people choose to use singapore, despite the higher fees? i suggest a few things - good connectivity and efficiency, all of which are crucial in any business plan. see when i see empty shelves in supermarkets, especially of goods i want to buy, i think of bad logistics management. time is money. especially when you are dealing with physical goods. i am in no way suggesting that port klang is inefficient or lacks extra connectivity, especially since i have not been there before, but i am saying, off the top of my head this is what singapore is probably best at. so hit us where it really hurts.

(and frankly. a bridge? do you know how bleedingly expensive it will be? yes you do. that is why you want us to pay for it. and of course when we said we wouldn't you floated the ridiculous half-bridge idea. actually ridiculous is an understatement)

secondly, you tell the press that your successor, your hand-picked successor, is not doing a good job. he is putting indian dissidents in jail and has contributed little to the country overall, so you claim. now i disagree with the treatment of indians in malaysia, but this is a pot calling a kettle black. seriously. you yourself ruled malaysia with an iron fist, the reason why people don't want to bring it up is because of respect for your long tenure. do not tarnish that image. plus, after what happened with anwar (who i must admit i found very persuasive) isn't this successor bashing a little tired?

thirdly, you say he is not doing a good job for malaysia. let's not forget the context of the situation here. you are not comparing like with like. first off i can think of the oil price rises, which only recently dipped below US$100 - a massive amount. faced with supply shocks in a still industrializing country, how will you propose to manage the country better? second i can think of other problems, such as terrorism and malaysia's need to tread carefully, to be a good intermediary. in fact i think badawai is not doing too bad a job, at least he hasn't got the US pissed off by some statement he made which was not warranted.

you know what takes the last straw? the article i read today about the gentleman's agreement between him and badawi. basically he said that he chose badawi because he is older, and the understanding is that after he has served his term he should give way for najib. seriously i think this is the worse thing he has said. it is wrong on so many levels. firstly for someone who is no longer in the government, he is trying to advise on succession, which i think for a country without a system like the US is a matter for the political party to decide, and not the civilian. secondly, to suggest that a gentleman's agreement existed, at the level of PMship, suggests politicking of the worse kind. so basically, only his opinion counts. and further how is age the only relevant criteria in assessing a leader's capability? note that mahathir himself resigned only when he was 78. clearly he thought that age has little bearing on an individual's capabilities.

if you want to comment, at least do it explicitly, like what mm lee did. now i am in no way a supporter of his (another understatement, again), but at least he made his stand explicit. he was going to remain in the government even after he resigned, he wasn't going to be content with criticising from afar,and he made that crystal clear (legitimate, too). that i respect.

ahh. but this is politics, surely. i am glad i will never be a politician.