The wheelchair, the parade and the convenient amnesia – Terence Fernandez

There is something deeply Malaysian about the controversy over Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad sitting in a wheelchair by the roadside watching the Merdeka Day parade. First, the photograph. Then the outrage. Then the accusations. And, naturally, the politics. Of course, yet again it is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's fault. How can Bapa Reformasi not have the basic courtesy of inviting Bapa Pemodenan to sit among the dignitaries on the main platform? The Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah however has now put one rather important fact on the table: according to information from the Prime Minister's Office, Dr Mahathir was supposed to be overseas from Aug 28 to 31. Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah. - Bernama pic, September 2, 2026 In fact Dr Mahathir had actually applied for the government facility known as “Facilities for Rest Abroad”, under the provisions governing the remuneration and privileges of former prime ministers in the Members of Parliament (Remuneration) Act 1980. And who approved that application? The current Prime Minister. One matter the public may not be aware of is that the final guest list (for the main platform where the King sits) must receive the approval of the Palace. And in political and Royal circles it is no secret what the sentiment is towards Dr Mahathir. Nevertheless in this case, the Prime Minister’s Office was under the impression Dr Mahathir will not be in the country this Merdeka. But somehow, when Dr Mahathir turns up at the parade, the government is accused of deliberately leaving him by the roadside. Whether it was a miscommunication, changed plans or pure orchestrated Kerala-style sympathy baiting remains a matter of speculation at this point. But here is something more certain. Who stopped the tradition of inviting former prime ministers to the Merdeka Day parade? The politics of exclusion at the Merdeka celebrations did not begin with Anwar. It began with Dr Mahathir. And the man on the receiving end then was not some ordinary former prime minister. It was Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj. Bapa Malaysia. The Father of Independence. The man whose name is inseparable from Aug 31, 1957. Yet Tunku was reportedly excluded from the Merdeka Day parade following his criticisms of Mahathir's administration, through his writings. Think about that for a moment. The first Prime Minister of Malaysia. The man who led the country to independence. The man whose very title — Bapa Malaysia. Father of the Nation — was bestowed because of his historic role in creating the nation. And yet political differences were apparently enough to make him unwelcome at the national celebration. So before we start rewriting Malaysian history around one photograph of an elderly former prime minister in a wheelchair, perhaps we should ask a more uncomfortable question: Who actually started the tradition of making former leaders politically inconvenient? Merdeka Day does not belong to any individual. It belongs to Malaysia. And former prime ministers are part of that history. Dr Mahathir set the precedent of not inviting ex-PMs. But for all the good he has done for the country, this pettiness is not something subsequent prime ministers should emulate. Most Malaysians are mature enough to want to see former prime ministers and the Opposition Leader for that matter on the dias during the parade. At least for one day - and the most significant one for our country at that - we put politics and bitterness aside and celebrate our nationhood with those who lead us. Terence Fernandez is Group Editor in Chief of Big Boom Media which publishes Scoop The post The wheelchair, the parade and the convenient amnesia – Terence Fernandez appeared first on Scoop .