Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has never projected himself as a saint, yet he carries himself as if he towers above everyone else - the smartest, the most seasoned, and perpetually beyond reproach. His political career, spanning more than half a century, is marked by sharp turns, bruising battles, and the kind of wear and tear only a long-serving, twice-returned prime minister could accumulate.
From cementing his dominance in the 1980s and 1990s, to his dramatic comeback in 2018, to the political earthquakes during his second premiership, Mahathir’s leadership has never been short of controversy. But his latest move - lodging a historic police report accusing Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim of economic sabotage and treason - has once again stirred the nation and revived an old question: is Mahathir defending Malaysia, or defending his legacy?
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Mahathir’s police report is unprecedented. For the first time, a former prime minister has formally accused a sitting prime minister of undermining the nation’s sovereignty - this time over the Malaysia-US Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) signed by Anwar and Donald Trump on Oct 26, 2025. Mahathir claims the agreement “mortgages” Malaysia to US influence, citing clauses that align Malaysia with unilateral American sanctions and compel disclosure of cross-border data. He argues that the deal compromises Malaysia’s foreign policy independence, halal regulation, Bumiputera economic empowerment, and critical minerals.
To be fair, scrutiny of any international agreement is healthy for democracy. But Mahathir’s aggressive framing - “treason”, “submission to the US”, “loss of independence” - raises eyebrows. After all, this is a man who has brought down more political successors than anyone else in Malaysian history. From Tun Abdullah Badawi to Dato' Seri Najib Razak to his past deputy prime ministers, even to Anwar himself in 1998, Mahathir has never tolerated leaders he believed threatened his influence or overshadowed his legacy.
That is why many Malaysians see his latest attack not as patriotism, but as a familiar pattern. Mahathir has long positioned himself as the ultimate gatekeeper of Malaysia’s political destiny. Now at nearly 100 years old, he still insists on policing the leadership of those who came after him - the very leaders trying to rebuild a country fractured by decades of political turbulence shaped, in part, by his own decisions.
Instead of acknowledging his own missteps - from institutional erosion to racialised politics to economic imbalances - Mahathir appears more eager to lecture, accuse, and delegitimise. Whether motivated by jealousy over his successors’ achievements, fear of his legacy being overshadowed, or a need to stay politically relevant, his actions risk dragging Malaysia backward into old feuds.
The debate over the US trade agreement deserves serious, fact-based examination. But turning it into a personal battlefield only erodes trust and stability.
At this point, perhaps it is Mahathir - not Anwar - who needs to look into the mirror. After decades shaping Malaysia’s direction, the country deserves leaders focused on healing, progressing, and governing - not another round of political sabotage disguised as national concern.
By: Kpost
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