Mahathir to bow out with dignity
By Channel NewsAsia's Zainudin Afandi in Malaysia

Unlike other regional leaders who were forced out under a cloud, Dr Mahathir is expected to leave the political scene with dignity.

History has dealt a severe blow to many leaders in South East Asia.

Former Filipino president Joseph Estrada was detained, tried and convicted of plundering the country's wealth.

Indonesia's former president Suharto resigned amid mounting pressures from student groups who wanted him in court to face charges of corruption and civil rights abuses.

And Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has also faced his share of criticisms over his 22 years in power.

One of the most high profile incidents involved the jailing of his former deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, for sodomy and corruption.

Disgruntled Anwar loyalists attacked Dr Mahathir, as did the world media.

They insisted the imprisonment was a political ploy by the premier to remove an increasingly popular rival.

Anwar also triggered an investigation into losses of some RM3 billion or close to US$800 million by the Perwaja Group.

Perwaja's Managing Director repeatedly stated he'd acted according to Dr Mahathir's instructions, and with his blessings.

And Anwar alleged that the Prime Minister had approved projects and awarded contracts without following proper financial procedures.

Other financial fiascos that took place during the period of restructuring, industrialisation and privatisation, included the BMF scandal in the 1980s.

BMF's parent company Bank Bumiputra suffered losses of some RM2.5 billion or more than US$650 million.

This was also attributed to Dr Mahathir's ambitions for Malaysia, but again, no charges of personal corruption were involved.

Said Professor K S Jomo, Political Economist: "We learnt this from many of his expensive mistakes like the Perwaja and so on and so forth. Tens if not hundreds of billions of ringgit have been lost because of his mistakes. Many of the projects have basically been pursued because of an expression of his will prevailing over others."

But in general, many Malaysians feel Dr Mahathir will leave with a positive report card.

Dr Farish Noor, political scientist, said: "Mahathir leaves at the time when he's at the peak of his achievements. He also leaves Malaysia at a time when I think still very significant sections of the Malaysian society are proud and thankful for what he has been able to do to the country. There're still a lot of people who want to see the benefits of Mahathirism continue"

Even his more vocal critics believe Dr Mahathir's record won't be blemished after he vacates his influential posts.

Shahrir Samad, an UMNO Supreme Council Member, said: "It's the Malaysian nature not to go after someone after he's gone. You don't kick a man while he's down. And in Malay politics, I do not envisage that it'll happen that there'll be a witch hunt just to attribute blame to the past or to the former leader."

Many UMNO leaders believe that Dr Mahathir's contributions, legacy, vision and ideas will live long after his retirement.

That's why many analysts feel Dr Mahathir will remain shielded from any possible political backlash.