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Paradoxes of Mahathirism: An Intellectual Biography of Mahathir Mohamad. By KHOO Boo TEIK. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, 1995. xxiv, 375 pp. $39.95.
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the present prime minister of Malaysia, was expelled from UMNO (the United Malays National Organization) in 1969. He had attacked, in a letter, the party's leader, Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. By 1981 he had been readmitted to UMNO, risen through the ministerial ranks, and emerged as prime minister.
Dr. Khoo has attempted, successfully, to evaluate the ideas of a complex "difficult" personality, without imposing on them an inappropriate degree of consistency. He has had to master Mahathir's two major books, early journalism, and hundreds of speeches. The main strength of Khoo's book lies in his interpretations of the material in the light of later events. Mahathir's The Malay Dilemma (Singapore: Donald Moore for Asia Pacific Press, 1970), more often cited than read, is an enquiry by a Malay nationalist into why the Malays are economically backward. Originally, its candor offended some Malays. In his second book (The Challenge [Petaling Jaya: Pelanduk Publications, 1986]; translated...