Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad

Prime Minister of Malaysia

60 years ago in 1957, various ethnic groups mainly from the Malay, Chinese and Indians forged together and our first Prime Minister proudly declared the independence of Malaya by shouting ‘Merdeka’. Marking the end of British colonialism. Few years later in 1963, Sabah and Sarawak joined and Malaysia was complete. From a humble beginning, Malaysia has became one of the Asian tigers when it came to developments and progress of the nation. It was not until late 1990s when the global financial crisis hit and the economy of this country started to slide. It is undeniable that the race and religion have always been an issue that many choose to be silent of until a decade ago when the opposition parties gained momentum in the political platform threatening the ruling Barisan National. This power shift led some Malay parties and leaders to play the race and religion cards with the hope to cling onto power. Tension was rising and minority groups especially the Chinese was targeted. Topping this were the introduction of GST and the 1MDB scandal that caught the world attention citing impropriate fund management and money laundering. The last two elections saw the shift of support from the Chinese to the opposition parties and but it was never enough.

60 years later, Former Malaysia Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir surprised the nation by becoming the leader of the opposition pack Pakatan Harapan. The so-called ‘Malay Tsunami’ and the dominance of Barisan National finally come to an end when the majority Malay ethnic group finally decided that enough is enough. The General Election 14 Of Malaysia on 9th May saw an unprecedented movement where the Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sabahans, Sarawakians and others came together and removed the only ruling party that had been in power since Merdeka. This time the common enemy what’s not the British empire but sad to say it was Mohd Najib Tun Razak, the Prime Minister who is also the leader of UMNO and Barisan National. The very person who was sworn in to do right for the people and to do better for the country on the contrary has done so many wrongs that not only frustrated the people but made Malaysia a laughing stock in the international arena.

The voices of the people is loud and clear. Peace, harmony and a strong economy are what the people wanted. The fall of Najib marks the end of the ‘RAHMAN’ myth and the beginning of a familiar face, the legendary Tun Dr. Mahathir. The person who made Malaysia a brand in the world scene and now this world’s oldest elected leaders at the age of 93 is back to make Malaysia great again.

60 年前的 1957 年，主要来自马来人、华人和印度人的各种族群联合结盟，由我国第一任首相自豪的高呼“默迪卡”宣布马来亚独立，结束了英殖民统治时期。几年后的 1963 年，沙巴和砂拉越加入马来亚联邦，组成马来西亚。从一个不起眼的开始，马来西亚逐渐强大成长，成为“亚洲四小虎”之一。直到 20 世纪 90 年代末，全球金融危机使我国经济严重受挫。无可否认，种族和宗教一直是让许多人选择沉默以对的问题。直到 10 年前，当时的反对党在国阵执政的威胁之下势头渐起。这起势力让欲掌握权力的马来党派和领导人以此炒作种族和宗教的议题。紧张局势日益上升，少数民族尤其是华裔成为了箭靶。引进 GST 和不恰当的资金管理及洗钱而引起世界关注的 1MDB 丑闻，让局势白热化。过去两次的选举看到了华裔对反对党的支持，但这远远不够 。

60 年后，马来西亚前首相敦马哈迪医生成为了反对党希望联盟的领导人，使全国感到惊讶。国政的统治地位终于在多数马来人也觉得受够了—所谓“马来海啸”的时候结束。5月 9 日的第 14 届马来西亚大选发生了史无前例的转变，马来人、华人、印度人、沙巴人、砂拉越人团结一致，推翻了独立后执政的唯一政党。这次可悲的共同的敌人不是大英帝国，而是巫统也是国政领导人的首相—拿督斯里纳吉。这位宣誓效忠国家并为人民做的更好的人犯了许多错误，不仅使人民感到挫败，也让马来西亚成为了国际笑柄。

人民的声音如此清晰响亮，和平、和谐和繁荣是人民的心愿。纳吉的倒台意味着“拉曼”神话的结束，及无人不知的敦马哈迪医生传奇的开始。曾让马来西亚在世界占据一席之地，现在是全世界最高龄的国家领导人，回来重新执政让马来西亚再次变得更强大。