12/31/98 23:42

Welcome to Mahanasty, another site dedicated to political reform in Malaysia. We are still constructing, but here's an interesting story:

The Palace that Mahajaya Built

This is what it looks like, the dream palace of our modern day pharoah, Maha-Rameses 2020. Feast your eyes, partake of the splendour and breathtaking view of this magnificent abode fit only for that rare breed of tyrants and dictators of the post Cold War era still alive and well as we move into the new millenium: Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, Kim Il Jung and Mahathir son of Mahakutty. Not only are they still alive, but they are getting more powerful by the day.

Mahathir claims that this dream palace of his in Putra Jaya costs only 17 million ringgit, but anyone with even the IQ of Tajol Rosli’s will be able to tell you that that would not be enough even to cover the landscaping and perimeter fencing. Unofficial accounts point to 250 million, but even this is said to be undervalued because of some creative accounting treatment which conveniently excludes the underground facility (which takes Mahathir directly to the KLIA via a state-of-the-art subterranean highway) and the custom-made infrastructure. A very reliable source says that the real figure, after factoring in the forex conversions, is a whopping 900 million! Incredible but true. Which is why Mahathir does not have the balls to discuss this in public or in Parliament, even when challenged by Anwar or the opposition.

The Shah of Iran, or Marcos, or Abasha would also be revelling in similarly depraved luxury had they not been called by their maker to account for their crimes

According to a source directly involved in the design and construction of this modern garden of Babylon, every single item of interior furnishing, down to the doorknobs, is imported, mostly from France. Siti Hasmah apparently wants to put her personal touch on the interior decoration, handpicking the marble for the flooring and the smallest item of kitchenware. Her chief assistant is Marina Mahathir, who is given full control over wallpapers and bathroom fixtures, including a special jakuzzi for her father. She is also in full charge of the design and decorations for her own section of the palace. However, no one has been allowed to make any decision for the inner-sanctum bathroom reserved exclusively for Mahathir. The design and fittings there are decided by the Maharaja himself in consultation with his bomohs, including a Buddhist swami imported from Thailand.

Another source says that a junior architect--the same one who designed the surau (prayer hall)--was sacked on Mahathir's orders for daring to suggest that a special area be reserved for the ritual bathing that is part of a Muslim funeral. Was Mahathir offended by the suggestion that he will one day die? Or was he acting on the advice of his bomohs?

The biggest bullshit laid on the Malaysian public by Mahathir's spinmeisters, including Kadir Jasin, is that the palace is not meant for Mahathir personally, but is to be the official residence of the Prime Minister, who could one day be Anwar Ibrahim. We are so used to having our intelligence insulted that we can only laugh at this suggestion. An UMNO source has confirmed what everyone has suspected for a long time--when Mahathir resigns (if he ever does), the palace will be given to him as "a gift from a nation grateful to him for everything he has done."