Just doing some brainstorming here before jumping into my next essay. This time I'll be writing on one of the most controversial figures in modern Southeast Asian history, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. I'm currently reading his Memoirs, A Doctor in the House, and getting some of my Chinese friends from Malaysia to discuss their memories of Dr Mahathir. There's really nothing political about this essay - because I honestly do not like discussing politics and I shy away from political history - so politics will be integrated to the essay but really not the main point.
The essay is tentatively titled 《Memoirs versus Memories: Impressions of the Good Doctor》. Firstly I wonder if there is such a thing as 'historian of impressions'. I guess that's what social historians do, perhaps. The reason for crafting this essay this way is because impressions interest me; things you see, hear and read, alongisde some post- seeing, hearing, reading thinking (which I think most people do but of course not doing so is fine too, helps to leave an impression. Of all I have gathered so far, I have heard him being described as 'good', some 'bad', one 'sly' and multiple 'smart'. Impressions can be as short as a word, or as long as one economics major friend's explanation about how ballsy he was to close Malaysia's financial market during the 1997 crisis. The one thing that fascinates me the most however, is how little we actually know about Dr Mahathir, though he was the leader of our closest neighbour for so many years. One of the guiding question for this essay will be, why wasn't this impression left? Or were we as kids too young to be interested or understand anything when it was still his reign? Once I start my discussions with the older generations, this should clear up.
I am also specifically exclusively interviewing (not really interview, just a word of convenience) Chinese (more specifically non-Malay-categorised Malaysians, of which I only know Chinese-categorised friends, sadly. Also note whenever I say Chinese or Malay I mean it with the -categorised at the back, I'm just lazy to type) Malaysians, because one of Dr Mahathir's greatest controversies was being accused of being racist, and advocating communal policies. Or to rehash that term from class... affirmative action. Racist vs affirmative action is a fun topic to explore too, and I am expecting some nasty things from them, but preliminary enquiry shows that some of them are actually pretty ok with him.
60 more chapters to go on his book. It's going to be helluva journey but I enjoy torturing myself like that. (Just finished a 650 page Chinese book on Vietnam history, this semester is just crazy.) Definitely cross-reading it with Mr Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs and watch how each tries to break the narrative of the other. In the mean time, I'll be having fun walking around popping this question to random people, "What's your impression of Mahathir?"
