Mahathir's Sordid Legacy

With the ‘elder’ of Malaysian politics appearing to finally taking his leave from politics, confirmed by the announcement that he has resigned from PEJUANG - there was little attention given the ‘old man’ of politics this time around.

There is no exuberance as seen in GE14. The people are tired, both online and offline, with many calling for Mahathir to finally let go of the steering wheel.

Despite political differences, it seems that most Malaysians have had enough of Mahathir and his ilk. They after all need no reminder that Dr. Mahathir and his children, are all multi-millionaires and billionaires themselves. When asked on this matter, Dr. Mahathir had often hit back at critics by saying that his children’s success “is due to their own hard work and nothing to do with him helming the government for two decades”. The two-time Prime Minister had also explained that his children were not rich when he was in power.

If that’s the case, Dr. Mahathir’s family must have been “extra hardworking” as the net worth of Marina, Mirzan, Mukhriz and Mokhzani easily surpasses the GDP of at least 120 countries. By all means, it does seem like Mokhzani was referring to his own family as “champions”, by the virtue of their immense and unnatural wealth.

Mahathir had always claimed that it has never been his intention to create a “legacy” in the local scene. He had numerously touched on the subject of his children’s massive wealth, for example, as one that is as a result of hard work than the affiliation with the family name itself. But the reality is hard to ignore when the accumulated wealth of Mirzan, Mokhzani and Marina totals up to more the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over a hundred countries.

If that’s the case, Dr. Mahathir’s family must have been “extra hardworking” as the net worth of Marina, Mirzan, Mukhriz and Mokhzani easily surpasses the GDP of at least 120 countries. By all means, it does seem like Mokhzani was referring to his own family as “champions”, by the virtue of their immense and unnatural wealth.

To be more specific: Mokhzani owns 255 companies, with estimated total assets worth USD21 billion;
Mirzan owns 156 companies, with estimated total assets worth USD17 billion;
Mukhriz owns 128 companies, with estimated total assets worth USD13 billion; and
Marina owns 52 companies, with estimated total assets worth USD9 billion.

It is no wonder that Mahathir is always defensive about his children’s work ethics. After all, Mahathir’s children have not only “worked hard” to deserve their billions, but they have also cemented themselves as among the richest Malays on Earth.

It is suitable the that he should move on with his stated goal to move on and focus on recording history - after all, he will need every second he can get to rewrite his legacy, at least in his eyes.