The Hindu : Mahathir steps down

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 01, 2003

International

International

Mahathir steps down

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE Oct. 31. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was today sworn in as Malaysia's fifth Prime Minister in Kuala Lumpur, as Mahathir Mohamad bowed out of office voluntarily after having held the reins for 22 years. Mr. Abdullah Badawi (64) took the oaths of office and secrecy in the presence of the constitutional monarch .

He was hitherto the Deputy Prime Minister. There were no surprises during the change of guard with no public demonstrations of jubilation or dissent marking the event which, in any case, was on the cards for a few months now.

Shortly before laying down office, Mr. Mahathir said he might write a political memoir and that he might also speak out candidly on occasions.

He said he felt a tinge of sadness at leaving the centre-stage that he had occupied for long and also a sense of relief over giving up the `burden' of steering the country in the face of challenges at home and abroad. The first test for Mr. Badawi will be the formation of his Cabinet even as Dr. Mahathir's political legacy looms large, according to political observers across South-East Asia.

A test case could relate to the manner in which the domestic and foreign supporters of the former Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, might now seek to secure his release from prison or at least a reprieve.

The issue is of particular political sensitivity, given that Dr. Mahathir chose Mr. Abdullah Badawi as Deputy Prime Minister only after sacking Mr. Anwar from that position.

For the moment, though, Dr. Mahathir remained very much in the international spotlight today, even as he meticulously went about his official duties until the appointed hour for the transfer of authority.

During his tenure, he had sought to reinvent Malaysia as a modern economy that could aspire for the status of a developed country by 2020.

In doing so, he waged political battles with the leaders of rich and powerful countries as also "investment gurus'' like George Soros and others.

One of his famous quips was that the developing countries were willing to be exploited but only in a `fair' manner.

He said he would treat as `terrorists' any Western leader or country bent on playing the role of a global or regional sheriff. Most recently, placing "multi-ethnic and multi-cultural'' Malaysia at the heart of the global Islamic movement, he not only asked the Muslim nations to `think' deeply and act but also observed that the "Jews rule the world by proxy''.

While this remark led to an icy exchange with the U.S. President, George W. Bush, during a regional summit in Bangkok on October 20-21, an American official wished Dr. Mahathir a happy retirement.

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