Wishes Do Come True

Ever since I entered college, I made up a list of things I wish to do, places I wish to see and people I wish to meet. Thus far, I got quite a bit done, a few major ones and many minor ones, but I've never managed to meet any of the people I admire.

Many times whenever a conversation turns to people that my friends and I would most like to meet, the answers received were more often than not actors, singers and other celebrities. When it came to me, my answer has surprised some people because I said, "I would love to meet Tun Dr Mahathir. Just being able to shake his hands would make me very happy." Why is this shocking? My friends and family know that I'm not much of a politics fan and that I shy away whenever the elections come, sparking fights and arguments even among family members. My own mother was surprised at how excited I was at being able to finally, FINALLY, shake his hands.

[caption id="attachment_1318" align="alignleft" width="237" caption="Tun Dr Mahathir (from his Facebook group)"][/caption]

Yes, after 27 years, I finally managed to shake the hands of my country's fourth (and in my opinion, best) Prime Minister. I have often envied people who managed to take pictures with him, talk to him, even be in the same room as him. My own boyfriend was photographed sitting right beside him during a dinner event in Japan. I thought I would never be able to have the chance to speak to him, especially after he fell ill. But God is kind, and so is my boyfriend for inviting me to the dinner yesterday night (April 10, 2009) where Tun Dr Mahathir was the special guest.

I admit I was acting like a star-struck stalker that night. I took many pictures of him and when the emcee announced that he was returning to his home, I rushed to try and shake his hands. Unfortunately, so did everybody else. For a man who's almost pushing 90, his sight is still sharp. Even though many men were pushing me aside to thrust their hands to Tun Dr Mahathir, he still noticed my hands and allowed me to 'salam' with him.

When I noticed that there was an organized line forming outside the hall, I rushed to line up as well and managed to not only 'salam' with him again but also managed to wish him a long happy life. When my aunt found out that I rushed to 'salam' him twice, she SMSed me, "Aaah, he would be most flattered."

I myself was taken aback by my happiness at the event (I still jump up and down when I remember the moment), and the reaction I've gotten from my family members. Most of them said the same thing to me after I happily told them my news,"I never knew you admired him so much." They don't understand.

I was born during the time when Tun Dr Mahathir was already Malaysia's Prime Minister and I lived majority of my life under his 22-year reign. I was in Australia when he announced that he was retiring, and I still remember the shock and uneasiness I felt at the news and how sad I was that I was not in my home country when it happened. No matter what wrong he did, what mistakes he committed, what hurtful remarks he said, he did alot for our country. He fought for us, for his home, when crisis comes a-knocking but many people don't see or remember that. Having a mostly-absent and negligent father, Tun Dr Mahathir was not just a father of modern Malaysia but a father figure for me to look up to.

[caption id="attachment_1321" align="alignright" width="205" caption="A funny moment with Tun Dr M and his beloved wife (from his Facebook group)"][/caption]

I'm not crazy over him, like some people are when it comes to the celebrities they love. I'm not going to stalk him and steal his underwear or whatnot. He is just a man I admire because he paved the way for Malaysia to join the rest of the world. Just like a true father, he guided us when we were lost, he scolded us when we weren't thinking properly and he praised us and joined in the celebration when a goal or dream was achieved. Through thick and thin, he has been with us. He also proved that he's human, like everybody else, making mistakes along the way but he has always apologized when he truly felt he was in the wrong. That is more than I can say for most of the past and current politicians.

I disabled the comment page for this post because unfortunately, certain Malaysians are not mature enough to handle blogs and articles supporting Tun Dr Mahathir. There have been cases whereby troublemakers just drop unconstructive and abusive comments just because they dislike the person and disagree that some people support someone other than their own choices.

Although I have said it to him, I still wish Tun Dr Mahathir a long, happy and healthy life with his beloved wife, children and grandchildren. May God watch over him and his family.