Father of Nepotism

Chapter 2 of Mahathirism: Privatise the wealth. Publicise the worship | Series: Of Leaders and Lore

They called me Bapa Pemodenan. I modernised everything, except morality.

I Built the Country Like a Kingdom

• You want towers? I gave you the tallest.
• You want cars? I gave you Proton.. even if it coughed on every hill.
• You want pride? I plastered it in concrete.

Vision 2020 wasn’t a dream. It was a diversion.

While you looked at the skyline, I was sketching power maps behind closed doors.

They say I developed Malaysia. No. I developed access.

To the right families. The right contracts. The right loyalists.

My Cabinet Was a Courtroom. Not of justice. Of judgment.

I handpicked ministers like surgeons pick tools.

Not based on skill but function. Some were there to speak. Others to stay silent. Many just to clap. Meritocracy? That’s for textbooks and TED talks.

I rewarded loyalty with legacy. And legacy with monopoly.

Business Was Family. Literally.

You ever wonder how some names kept repeating? Why the same faces sat on boards, led GLCs, held tenders?

Because I believed in recycling. Not trash but trust.

Nepotism? You call it that now. We called it stability.

Put sons in government. Brothers in business. Friends in foundations.

Because strangers ask questions. And blood doesn’t bite.

I Gave You Privatisation so I could keep control.

MAS. Telekom. TNB. All yours. But only in name. The Owners? I owned them.

We called it liberalisation. But we sold national assets to friends with offshore accounts.

I didn’t privatise to empower the people. I privatised to secure loyalty without budget hearings. If the rakyat suffered from rising bills, I blamed the global economy. But I signed the deals.

I picked the winners. Some call that cronyism. I call it strategic delegation.

I Made the Billionaires. You think they earned it? You think the tycoons with golf-course estates and children in Harvard just worked harder?

No. They picked up my phone calls. They funded the right campaigns. They didn’t question when I asked for “contributions.” I gave them contracts worth nations.

In return, they gave me silence. Silence is the most expensive commodity in Malaysia. And I made it affordable for the right men.

You once Called Me Father. You loved that title. You gave it to me.

But fathers aren’t supposed to steal futures for their favourites.

They’re not supposed to raise one child while starving the rest.

I picked the elite. Raised them as heirs. And told the rest:

Work hard. Wait your turn. Respect the system.

What I didn’t tell you was:

The system was rigged.

I Don’t Regret It. Regret is for men who got caught. I never did. I'm not stupid. I'm not like the others.

I never was. Every scandal, every abuse, every “leak”. It was nothing to me.

I outlived it. I didn’t just survive the system. I am the system.

I buried the ones who tried to expose it. You gave me the keys. I built a fortress.

Then I charged you to enter. And still, you called me a hero.

Because I am a hero. I will always be a hero.

And you will always bow down, kiss my feet and ask me to save you.