BY: NADHIRA ZA

In Malaysia, there is a yawning gap between the poor and the elite, and this is largely due to the inequitable distribution of wealth, whereby it is to be found that a number of factors such as corruption, cronyism, collusion and nepotism are to be blamed.

Are these the only reasons? When questioned over corruption and social inequalities since his first tenure, former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad gave the reason he failed to address these injustices because Malaysians refused to cooperate with him.

Many political analysts and independent commentators view his explanation as being lame, and not really explaining exactly why the issue of the disparity and unfairness in wealth distribution came about, despite his promises to rectify the situation.

Perhaps a more blatant explanation to this scenario, where disparities and unfairness has surfaced over the distribution of the economic pie, is that the spoils or gains of economic booms went into the coffers of the corrupt, the cronies and sycophants of Mahathir.

These are the actual reasons and Mahathir Mohammad should not be beating about the bush but level with Malaysians that he had failed miserably to create a just, social order where all Malaysians should have benefitted by the economic booms of his era.

In the process, as it is uncovered and discovered that Mahathir Mohammad, his family, cronies and sycophants were among those who benefitted enormously by inequitably distributing wealth, his reputation as ‘Bapa Pembangunan’ has become tarnished.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher