A Regime Change Glanced Askance
Over the past several weeks, much of Malaysia鈥檚 elite has been playing the game of 鈥減using鈥 (Malay for turnaround), or as one businessmen told me, learning to 鈥済ostan鈥 (Malay contraction of 鈥済o astern鈥). In popular usage, it means to reverse back. This is how it works: many in the Malaysian elite are now claiming to be closet supporters of Dr Mahathir and the Pakatan Harapan (PH, or alliance of hope) coalition. Some claimed to have secretly 鈥渟ponsored鈥 the campaigns of PH candidates.
In an infamous blog entry,聽, one of Mahathir鈥檚 closest political allies Abdul Kadir Jasin wrote:
鈥淟ast evening I was invited for a聽berbuka puasa聽with the Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, at the Perdana Leadership Foundation (PLF) in Putrajaya鈥 saw many familiar faces鈥攎en and women鈥攚ho during good and bad times had stuck with THE man鈥ut I also saw many who had been absent from his berbuka puasa and other functions for quite a few years. I felt no sense of remorse when I greeted them with disdain鈥hen Dr Mahathir was in power they celebrated him as if he was a 鈥楾ua Pek Kong鈥 (Chinese diety) and man of miracle. He was lavishly praised and even more lavishly feasted鈥ut when he left office but yet continuing to care for the country, many of these people abandoned him for fear that supporting or just being seen with him would jeopardise their billion-dollar contracts, projects concessions, or subject them to the scrutiny of the Inland Revenue Board鈥he mere mention of Dr Mahathir caused them to cringe鈥heir hypocrisy and lack shame put me off. But still I accepted their handshake for the sake civility and common courtesy鈥︹
While crony capitalism is found throughout Southeast Asia (yes,聽), in Malaysia the cronies never had to 鈥減using鈥 or 鈥済ostan鈥 at such a rapid pace. The assumption was that UMNO and Barisan Nasional (BN) would remain in power for the foreseeable future. Thus the 9 May outcome was akin to suffering the first heart attack.
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