The Demonisation of Mahathir-1

BOOK REVIEW- KIFARAT MAHATHIR MENUJU DIKTATOR.

I have not read the book in its entirety. I shall do so shortly. But Sakmongkol wants to test his theory. This book will be about attributing the current mis-leadership of the country to Tun Mahathir. We shall see whether this theory is correct.

It is a novel legal defense practice of the guilty party to try to mitigate their own felonies by attributing them to someone else. Many years ago, two brothers Eric and Lyle Menendez were tried before the court in America for murdering their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. The lawyers argued, that they killed their parents because the parents made them into what they are. The abusive parents beget the abused childhood argument. In other words, mankind is a pliable putty, shaped and formed by the forces beyond their control. In the case of the two brothers, they bore the latent murderous inclinations because they were shaped like that by the parents. Hence, the lawyers approach was:-

The defense would try to prove to the jurors that it was Jose and Kitty and not Lyle and Erik who should be held accountable for why the murders were committed. Abramson and Lansing would argue that the brothers had been instilled with feelings of fear over a long period of time, going back many years. The athletic, spoiled rich sons who had each at one time in their lives considered becoming professional tennis players; were going to be portrayed as victims of child abuse.

This same I am what I am because of my parents argument is being repeated by the writer of this book. Its author, one Kamarazaman Yaakob has appointed himself to be the defense lawyer for the real perpetrators of the current mis-leadership of this country. Instead and predictably, He is saying, that person that must be held accountable is Tun Mahathir.

Sakmongkol’s story is as follows:-

Among the hari raya cards sakmongkol receives is a small package. it contains a book with the ominous title, KIFARAT MAHATHIR MENUJU DIKTATOR. It is written in Bahasa Melayu. Translated into English, it would mean something like- the after-effects of Mahathir becoming a dictator. It has to be a longish title, because there’s no equivalent of kifarat in English.

The writer is Kamazaman Yaakob, a former student leader at the University of Malaya. If sakmongkol is not mistaken, he was president of UMSU while Hishamudin Rais was the Secretary. Either UMSU or the Socialist Club. Kamarazaman Yaakob was also detained under the ISA for his student activities.

Kamarazaman Yaakob is also the brother of Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who before he became a minister was hardly known. He is chiefly known as a close associate of Khairy Jamaluddin. He is now the minister in charge of Sports.