He is now out of office and in his mid-nineties, still active in politics, stirring the political waters.
I met former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad of Malaysia several times in various parts of the world. In his first term as Prime Minister he was at the helm for twenty-two uninterrupted years.
For the next several years he was out of office, but not out of public mind. From time to time he made the powers that be uncomfortable. Out of nowhere, at the age of ninety-two he became Prime Minister for the second time—the oldest head of government in the world. He is now out of office and in his mid-nineties, still active in politics, stirring the political waters.
In November 1989, the Commonwealth Summit was held in Kuala Lumpur. Prime Minister Mahathir presided. As was customary the conference was opened by Queen Elizabeth. She had no other role to play, except holding a reception of the leaders of the delegations, most of whom were Vice-Presidents, Presidents and Prime Ministers.
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had decided to attend, but at the last minute he decided not to. Dr Mahathir was deeply disappointed. I was at the time number two in our delegation. The Prime Minister had decided not to take External Affairs Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao with him. He was needed in Delhi as elections to the Lok Sabha were due in December. It, hence, fell to me to become leader of the Indian delegation. This was very unusual. Normally at NAM and Commonwealth summits Ministers of State are almost invisible.
Dr Mahathir asked me to meet him. I should telephone Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to tell him that leaders were missing him and wished their disappointment be conveyed to him. I called Rajiv Gandhi, he said he could not leave Delhi as he was fully occupied with preparing for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. I pleaded with him to reconsider but to no avail. Dr Mahathir was put out. However at the dinner held the day before the conference was to close, the Malaysian Prime Minister approached me, “Minister, call Rajiv and tell him from me that he need come only for a couple of hours on the closing day, make his statement and return to Delhi.” If I remember he himself called Rajiv Gandhi.
Rajiv Gandhi rang me saying, “I am sending P.V. Convey my regrets to Mahathir.”
“Sir, why don’t you call Dr Mahathir and tell him why you cannot come and that you were sending the External Affairs Minister?”
He agreed. He called Mahathir. P.V. arrived but was cold shouldered by Dr Mahathir. For Mahathir the Kuala Lumpur Summit was of great significance. Pakistan was to be re-admitted to the Commonwealth after over 15 years. Miss Benazir Bhutto had already arrived in Kuala Lumpur. It was her father who had pulled out of the Commonwealth, when Bangladesh was admitted.
After all these years I do continue to feel that Rajiv Gandhi should have attended the Kuala Lumpur Summit at least for half a day.
Dr Mahathir Mohammad is currently in the news. A teacher in France had his throat slit by an 18-year-old Chechen boy. The killer was angered by the teacher showing a caricature of Prophet Muhammad. Dr Mahathir in a lengthy statement justified the act of the Chechen youth. I quote a portion of Dr Mahathir’s statement:
“Macron (President of France) is not showing that he is civilized. He is very primitive in blaming the religion of Islam and Muslims for the killing of the insulting school teacher. It is not in keeping with the teachings of Islam…The French in the course of their history have killed millions of people. Many were Muslims.
“Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past. But by and large Muslims have not applied the ‘eye for an eye law’. Muslims don’t. The French shouldn’t. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people’s feelings.
“Since you have blamed all Muslims and the Muslims religion for what was done by one angry person, the Muslims have a right to punish the French…”
All one can say is that the 94-year-old Doctor seems to be losing it.