Friday November 13, 2009
Portrait of Dr M
By ALLAN KOAY
Mahathir gives an insight into Malaysia’s fourth prime minister.
TUN Dr Mahathir Mohamad, as you’ve never seen him before. Or, as you’ve never heard him before. That’s what The History Channel’s upcoming two-part series Mahathir promises.
The series, the first part of which kicks off this Sunday, aims to present a fair and balanced picture of the former prime minister, warts and all.
Open biopic: The History Channel’s two-part series, Mahathir, aims to present a fair and balanced picture of the former premier, warts and all. On the one hand, it explores the former premier’s achievements and how his vision for Malaysia modernised the country into an industrial-based economy, while on the other, it also delves into the controversies and scandals that plagued his administration, as well as his outspokenness that rubbed many on the international stage the wrong way.
But most of all, viewers will get to follow Dr Mahathir’s life, from his schooldays in Singapore to his courtship of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and throughout his career as the longest-serving prime minister of Malaysia (1981-2003).
Known to be a very private person, Dr Mahathir, however, surprised the makers of the documentary with his openness and cooperation.
Leong Hon Yuen, director of the series who also produced it with Lina Tan of Red Communications, said: “A lot of information came out of him, a lot that is not widely known. And that surprised me. This is real information from the man himself, and from his wife about him.
“I had no preconceptions about him. I just went to meet him with an open mind and see what he had to say. And that’s what the biography is about.
“It’s not about one side or the other. It’s a very fair and balanced documentary. And that’s how I wanted it to be.”
When Leong asked for access to Dr Mahathir’s personal collection of photographs, she got a big surprise. His personal assistant brought five huge cartons into the meeting room.
“I went through all the photos, which totalled more than 1,000,” she said. “I spent a few months travelling between Putrajaya and KL, every day from 9am to 5pm, just to look through all the photos.
“There were wedding photos, holiday photos, political photos such as a meeting with Ronald Reagan – everything from his childhood all the way to the time when he retired.”
In the end, she managed to pick 150 photos which were used in the documentary.
“It’s not just about the politician, it’s about the man,” said Michele Schofield, director of content programming, acquisitions and production for AETN All Asia Networks. “And that’s what all our biographies are. Our litmus test for whether we want to make a biography about someone is, do they have an interesting life as much as an interesting career?”
When it came to interviewing Dr Mahathir, Leong was given some tips by a friend beforehand. She was told to be completely prepared and leave no stone unturned in her research.
“If you ask him a silly question, basically it wouldn’t be good news for you,” said Leong. “So, I made all my preparations. I was told beforehand that he is a private person, and that he doesn’t talk shop or chit-chat. So I thought I would have to figure out how to get information from him or get his emotions flowing. We didn’t just want facts from him, we wanted stories.
“But amazingly he was very open and very expressive. We interviewed him over three days, each session lasting about two-and-a-half hours. It was conducted in his 86th floor Petronas office for the political questions, and also in his home in The Mines (Seri Kembangan, Selangor) for the family side of things. So we get to see both sides of him.”
Family man
For Tan, the most important moments were the ones that showed sides of Dr Mahathir, 83, now Petronas adviser, that most people have never seen, such as when he is with his family and grandchildren.
She said such moments provide us a glimpse of the man behind the grand achievements and controversies, paring down the larger-than-life persona to just someone who loves his family and offspring.
“That was our challenge, to portray him as a person with a family life but who also had a mammoth task to carry out,” said Tan. “We have to do justice to why he is perceived as how he is. He was in power for over 20 years! In most countries, that’s unheard of.
“That was what we wanted to show, from the guy who studied in school and scribbled his name on the wall, and to this man who made Malaysia what it is. It is amazing to see how he went from here to there. Like it or not, you just have to be a bit in awe.”
Schofield stressed again that the objective of the series was not to glorify Dr Mahathir nor take an accusatory stance.
“In taking the journey chronologically, you see that there are certain signposts in his career where he made statements or decisions for which internationally he was pretty much condemned,” said Schofield. “We even show some of those clips to illustrate what people outside of Malaysia were thinking when he did all that. Our objective was to be objective. And I think we succeeded in doing that.”
In fact, some of his local opponents were also given voice in the series.
The makers even sought the views of DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang (Member of Parliament for Ipoh Timor), one of Dr Mahathir’s harshest critics who was also one of those arrested under the Internal Security Act in 1987’s Ops Lalang during Dr Mahathir’s tenure.
The series also looks at the price of the success Dr Mahathir brought to Malaysia, the power struggles and political crises – such as the sacking and imprisonment of then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – and how freedom of expression also became one of the casualties.
“Malaysians have all sorts of emotions when it comes to Tun Dr Mahathir,” said Tan. “You just have to say his name, and you get all sorts of reactions. But we hope that when people watch this, they would really get an insight into him, to hear things from the man himself. No political speak or anything like that but speaking completely from the heart.”
Leong added: “And he answered all our questions, whether it was something sensitive or political.”
Said Tan: “And that was the first thing that we asked him – ‘Do you want us not to ask you any question?’ And he said: ‘No. You can ask me anything.’ ”
● Mahathir, Part 1 premieres this Sunday at 8pm, while Part 2 premieres on Nov 22 also at 8pm, on The History Chanel (Astro channel 555).
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