Word: mahathir
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...risk of being overshadowed by a neighbor like Singapore, the peril of racial conflagration in Malaysia. Through death, ouster or abdication, the Deng Xiaopings, Suhartos and Lee Kuan Yews have passed from the scene. And now?if he goes ahead with his drawn-out exit strategy?comes Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's turn, perhaps closing the chapter on long-serving Asian leaders who, by sheer force of their personalities, transformed their nations...
...June 22, the last day of the annual general assembly of his United Malays National Organization (UMNO), that an emotional Mahathir abruptly announced his resignation in his closing speech. Shocked party leaders mobbed the PM in a bid to dissuade him. But three days later, amid feverish rumor and speculation, UMNO unveiled a transition plan allowing for Mahathir's departure next year. He would maintain all current posts, including those of Prime Minister and Finance Minister, until October 2003, after which his deputy, Abdullah Badawi, would take over...
...Vietnam: Settling Old Scores Japan: Cult Shock Malaysia: Mahathir's Exit Plan Hong Kong: Five Years...
...month time frame, insisted UMNO leaders, was to ensure a smooth transition. But it is an unsatisfactory solution all round. Mahathir appears ineffectual, Abdullah may be besieged by political challengers all too aware that he cannot claim anywhere near Mahathir's mandate, and investors, who abhor uncertainty, may stay on the sidelines...
...What seems clear is that Mahathir's resignation is no publicity gambit to shore up support. Even his detractors acknowledge that. "It's definitely not a put-on job or a political gimmick," says oppositionist Lim Kit Siang. (Though Mahathir had multiple-bypass surgery a decade ago, his health is robust for a 76-year-old.) But neither, it seems, does he wish to go because he feels he has accomplished enough and that it's time for younger leaders to take over?as Lee Kuan Yew believed. Mahathir modernized the economy, enabled Malaysia to gain international respect, and gave...