The Malaysian Insight

THE 15th general election will be the most important election in the nation’s history as it will determine whether or not the country will continue to be run by corrupt politicians, Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

He said if the same people who are governing today are retained after the general election, Malaysia will have a bleak future for at least the next decade.

“I look at GE15 as the most important election in the history of the country.

“It hasn’t happened yet. If the people are bribed and they support the people who bribe them, (then) a bad government will be in place.

“This bad government can then buy others and sack people as they wish,” he said.

Dr Mahathir, who was speaking at the launch of his new book Capturing Hope: The Struggle Continues For a New Malaysia held via Zoom, said that this may inadvertently cause Malaysia to become a failed state.

“If this country is ruled by corrupt people, this country will sink and become a failed nation. If they (voters) support clean parties, we can once again become the Asian tiger.”

The Langkawi MP said looking at how elections have been conducted of late, the practice of cash is king has returned.

“Today in elections, even when voters are given food packages, they are given notes. In some cases, voters are given transport to polling stations and in the van they are given money.

“When given money, voters do take the money and vote for the people giving the money. (Former prime minister) Najib Razak taught them this, (that) cash is king.

“The electorate, some of them are very poor. Even RM100 is a lot. When poor people are offered money, it’s difficult for them to say no.

“Even if they are told they don’t have to vote for the person giving them the money, they will still vote for them for the sake of their conscience.”

Dr Mahathir cautioned young voters not to be complacent and to vote for the right people as their future hinges on it.

“They were born after the country had developed. (They) see all the skyscrapers, they don’t know that before, it wasn’t like this. We were poor.

“But they (young voters) think that this is good, the country looks good and they got scholarships and good jobs and they think it will be like this all the time. The future is not static. There will be changes,” Dr Mahathir added. – December 7, 2021.