That’s happened before. Heart-bypass surgery 10 years ago seemed to buy Mahathir a new lease on life–and he has continued to run the government by rising at dawn and working longer hours than anyone in his cabinet. But recently he has seemed to lose his political footing more often. When Mahathir blamed Jewish speculators for Malaysia’s financial problems last year, then ousted his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, for alleged sexual misconduct, rumors bubbled up in the market that he was losing his balance. Malaysian journalists began to notice that the prime minister, known for his quick wit and sharp tongue, occasionally lost his train of thought.
After the prime minister’s weak performance on television, stockbrokers frantically called financial journalists for clues about his health. Mahathir was released from the hospital last week after an 11-day confinement, but he still declined to chair an important cabinet meeting. He also canceled a plan to make a trip around the country. And when he briefly returned to the Heart Institute for a checkup, the rumors surged through the streets of Kuala Lumpur once again. “He’s always been very strong, but this time we give him a 50-50 chance,” said one computer engineer. Mahathir’s office declined to comment.
Even if Mahathir returns quickly to good health, Malaysians are starting to realize they will face a political transition sooner or later. As if to sum up a lifetime of service, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi unveiled a new CD-ROM set about Mahathir’s achievements and heaped praise on him as a “Renaissance man.” Mahathir himself has sought to make it clear that eulogies are premature. “My appetite has improved,” Mahathir insisted during his hospital broadcast. “There’s no need for anyone to worry.”
Some of Mahathir’s political enemies now number among his well-wishers. Though he gets credit for building Malaysia’s economy, his style of governing has become the focus of people’s anger: Anwar launched his “reformasi” movement by criticizing Mahathir for “corruption, cronyism and collusion.” Without Mahathir as a common foe, the opposition has very little holding it together. “Some people feel that if Mahathir is not around, a lot of anger will subside,” says Chandra Muzaffar, deputy chairman of Anwar’s new National Justice Party.
If Mahathir did leave the scene, his legacy would include economic upheaval and social division. But finding solutions without Mahathir would be no easy task. His countrymen would have to make do without the binding force of the personality that has dominated Malaysian politics for two decades.
