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By Mihar Dias October 2025
Say what you will about Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad — his age, his stubbornness, his sharp tongue — but no one can deny the man still possesses the one quality missing from today’s Madani leadership: candour laced with courage.
When others choose flowery press statements and diplomatic spin, Mahathir calls it as it is — Malaysia has surrendered its independence. Facebook
For that rare honesty, he deserves credit.
Because what the Madani government has done through the so-called Malaysia–US “reciprocal” trade agreement is nothing short of an economic capitulation. Facebook
We are told this is a partnership of equals, a modern trade framework, a progressive path to prosperity.
In truth, it’s a return to dependency — a quiet re-colonisation by contract.
Back in 1957, our forefathers fought for Merdeka so we could determine our own destiny. And in the decades that followed, we asserted that independence — from the Dawn Raid that reclaimed national assets from British control, to the “Buy British Last” campaign that showed the world Malaysia’s spine. Facebook
Today, that spine is nowhere to be found. In its place, a government eager to please Washington for the sake of fleeting applause and tariff crumbs.
We now buy American aircraft, energy, and technology; we abide by their digital rules; we let them have first rights to our rare minerals and tell us who we can — and cannot — do business with. It’s not “reciprocal,” it’s subservient. Facebook
Tun Mahathir’s statement cuts through the fog of government PR like a scalpel:
“We have traded our independence because we lacked spine and were keen to please foreign powers.” Facebook
That single line encapsulates everything wrong with this administration.
They hide behind words like cooperation and mutual benefit, but the truth is painful — Malaysia has been sold for cheap symbolism. Facebook
The government points to an exit clause, as if that absolves them of stupidity. But as Mahathir rightly argues, if the deal was suffocating from the start, why enter it at all? Facebook
Does anyone honestly believe the United States will simply let us walk away unscathed when we try to exercise that so-called right to exit?
It is, as the Tun calls it, “modern-day imperialism” — the very thing our early leaders warned against. Facebook
The chains have changed form, but the enslavement feels the same.
Also, let us not forget: the power to whom we now genuflect is the same one financing bombs raining down on Gaza. Facebook
Yet our Madani ministers beam in photo ops, praising “shared values” while standing shoulder to shoulder with those complicit in genocide. The hypocrisy is unbearable. Facebook
Dr. Mahathir’s words sting because they are true. His commentary bites because he refuses to sweeten the poison. He may be 100 , but he speaks with the moral fire of a leader who still understands what Merdeka means — and who still has the guts to defend it.
Meanwhile, our current leaders confuse submission for diplomacy, and dependency for development.
Malaysia once stood tall, respected and unafraid to say no to great powers. Today, under Madani rule, we seem content to kneel — just for a pat on the head and a headline. Facebook
Tun Mahathir deserves our respect for saying what many dare not: we are no longer masters of our own destiny.
If this trajectory continues, history will record that it was not colonialism that broke us — but cowardice.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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