Catharsis: A Second Chance for Democracy in Malaysia
Ooi Kee Beng
SIRD: 2018
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Almost every person in Langkawi has a story about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Perhaps they’ve shaken his hand at the airport, or met him at a relative’s wedding, or served him at one of the island’s restaurants or hotels. Some of the older generation even remember him from his time as a young medical doctor at the island’s government clinic back in the 1950s, when Langkawi was an impoverished backwater with just a few thousand inhabitants.

A few years ago, before Mahathir emerged from retirement to re-enter the political fray, I was treating myself to a rare lunch on the terrace of The Loaf at Telaga Harbour. Opened in 2006, it was the flagship and the first of a chain of twelve bakery-cum-restaurants established as a retirement project by the entrepreneurial doctor himself. For reasons that are still unclear, in mid-April of this year, mere weeks before Malaysia’s general election, all outlets abruptly closed their doors. When questioned about the closure, Mahathir denied holding any stake in the business. As I ate I took in the view of the sailboats in the harbour and the densely forested hills beyond.

Someone must have received a phone call. The sedate staff sprung into sudden action, hurriedly placing several tables together; straightening and smoothing tablecloths; carefully readjusting cutlery, glasses, flowers, chairs. Moments later Mahathir appeared with his wife, Siti Hasmah. Their entourage included some burly men who I guessed might be bodyguards. Mahathir was smaller than he appeared in photos or on screen. As he passed my table he looked at me and smiled.

• Tags: Issue 13, Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia, Marc de Faoite, Ooi Kee Beng