Why Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad turn a blind eye to tyrants? Demanding equal rights in real a democratic government

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned today that the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt may not necessarily benefit the countries, saying they are at risk of being taken over by opportunists.

Dr Mahathir added that even if elections were held, the chosen leaders may not be better than the overthrown leaders.

“I am sure that the people would want to see a democratic government, a government of the people, by the people, for the people,” said the former prime minister in his blog posting today.

“This sounds great but government by the people will not be so easy. You cannot have the people directly governing themselves.

“You will need to have a new constitution and political parties which will enable representatives of the people to form the government. For this, elections will have to be held. Unfortunately elections can be manipulated,” he added.

Dr Mahathir also warned against uncertainties if the newly-elected governments fail to fulfil the public’s expectation.

“It is not necessary that the government which replaces the old regime will be free from corruption. The people may have to try to remove the government again and again with no certainty the replacements would be any better,” he said.

Dr Mahathir’s administration for 22 years was credited for bringing economic progress, but he has also been criticised by his opponents for allegedly rolling back democratic practices.

Detractors have blamed the nation’s longest-serving premier for the arbitrary arrests of opposition leaders using the Internal Security Act (ISA) and accused him of interfering in the judiciary in 1988, which resulted in the dismissal of the then Lord President Tun Salleh Abas and five other judges.

Today, Dr Mahathir questioned the ability of the Egyptians and Tunisians to take part in elections.

“It will not always be the good people who will win to form governments. The idea of people choosing their leaders sounds very democratic but the people may not be savvy as to the quality of the candidates,” said Dr Mahathir.

“Sectarian loyalties, money and narrow-mindedness may bring instability, economic regression and even anarchy,” he added.

Dr Mahathir also warned that the civil service and the military might have problem adapting to a more democratic system.

“The professional administrators, military and police must learn to be subservient to the elected governments even when they are changed by the electorate through periodic elections,” said Dr Mahathir.

“Their political affiliations will be private as they will have to serve whichever party forms the government. It is going to be hard. The temptation to seize power will plague the minds of many,” he added.

Tunisia’s Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who led the country for 23 years, was ousted early last month following series of public demonstrations.

It triggered more such protests in the Arab world, and resulted in the resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled the country for over three decades.

As more cities fall into the hands of the pro-democracy protesters, Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, is hanging on to the capital where security forces loyal to him seem to have a firm hold, even amid reports of sporadic gunfire. On Sunday, protesters had taken control of the city of Zawiyah, 50km from Tripoli, further shrinking the control of Gaddafi's government after the opposition took over most of the eastern part of the country. LIVE BLOG However, tanks were surrounding Zawiyah and locals feared an imminent raid by pro-Gaddafi  forces. An AFP reporter arriving in Nalut, 24km west of Tripoli, found that Gaddafi's security forces had entirely disappeared from the streets. "The towns of Rhibat, Kabaw, Jado, Rogban, Zentan, Yefren, Kekla, Gherien and Hawamed have also been free for days. In all these towns, Gaddafi's forces have gone and a revolutionary committee put in place,"  Shaban Abu Sitta, a lawyer and member of a local committee, said. "We have placed ourselves under the authority of the interim government in Benghazi," he explained, referring to theopposition council formed by former justice minister Mustafa Abdel Jalil in the east of the country. Blaming al-Qaeda In an interview with Serbian television, a defiant Gaddafi repeated his message that he will stay in Libya and blamed foreigners and al-Qaeda for the unrest that is threatening his 41-year rule. The interview with TV Pink in Belgrade was carried out over the phone while Gaddafi was in his office in Tripoli. The Libyan leader also condemned the United Nations Security Council for imposing sanctions on him and launching a war crimes inquiry. An opposition army officer teaches the use of an anti-aircraft gun to civilians in Benghazi [Reuters] Gaddafi said the UN council could not see that the capital, Tripoli, was secure. Residents said banks were open but bread and petrol remained tightly rationed as the opposition grip on large swathes of the nation disrupted the distribution of basic goods. People gathered at banks trying to register for a handout sum of approximately $400 per family unit, promised by the government on Friday. Earlier, Gaddafi's son denied in a US television interview that turmoil was sweeping the country and said the military did not use force against the people, despite reports to the contrary. There was a "big, big gap between reality and the media reports," Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, told ABC News' "This Week" television programme. "The whole south is calm. The west is calm. The middle is calm. Even part of the east." His assessment came as much of the oil-producing regions, including the second city of Benghazi, was in protesters' hands. Saif Gaddafi also denied allegations that the military was targeting Libyan citizens. "Show me a single attack, show me a single bomb," he said in the interview. "The Libyan air force destroyed just the ammunition sites. That's it." The death toll from the violent crackdown on protesters is estimated by some diplomats to be about 2,000. Assets frozen The UK said on Sunday it was freezing the assets of Gaddafi and members of his family, implementing a UN Security Council resolution. "I have today taken action to freeze the assets in the UK of Colonel Gaddafi and his family or those acting on their behalf so that they cannot be used against the interests of the Libyan people," finance minister George Osborne said in a statement. Follow more of Al Jazeera's special coverage here  Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington was "reaching out" to opposition groups, prepared to offer "any kind of assistance" to Libyans seeking to overthrow the regime. However, opponents of Gaddafi forming a National Libyan Council in the east said they did not want any foreign intervention in the country. The UN Security Council has imposed a travel and assets banon Gaddafi's government and, with exceptional unanimity, ordered an investigation into possible crimes against humanity by the Libyan strongman [See a list of those targeted by the sanctions]. Hana Elgallal, a legal and human rights expert in Benghazi, said some in Libya will be disappointed that the UN did not impose a no-fly zone. "I'm one person who was hoping that we'd get that," she told Al Jazeera. "We will not be able to move and help Tripoli because of the fear that he will use his planes. But whatever we get now we will look at it positively and consider it a victory and success. "Hopefully things will escalate in our benefit soon to defuse the massacres in Tripoli." The UN move came amid increased international criticism of Gaddafi's crackdown on protests. Barack Obama, the US president, has called  on Gaddafi to "leave now." Italy reaction The foreign minister of Italy, Gaddafi's closest European ally, said on Sunday that the end of the Libyan leader's rule was "inevitable". Franco Frattini also said a friendship and co-operation treaty between Libya and Italy was "de facto suspended". "We have reached, I believe, a point of no return," Frattini told Sky Italia television. Australia has also moved to put pressure on the Libyan government by imposing unilateral sanctions. Kevin Rudd, the foreign minister, told Al Jazeera that more  measures need to be taken against Gaddafi and his government. "There is one critical element of the UN Security Council resolution, which we in Australia have strongly argued for, for the last week, and that is a reference to the International Criminal Court," he said. "This is critical for the regime in Tripoli to understand. That is, if they take further actions of violence against innocent civilians in Libya, it is not just those who issue orders, but those who pull the trigger who will then become subject to the jurisdiction of the criminal court." 'Enemy of God' His comments came as armed protesters in the eastern city of al-Baida threatened to march on to the capital. Al Jazeera obtained video of the protesters who said they are planning to march on to Tripoli and claim to have seized tanks and weapons from the army. Their claims came a day after hundreds of Tripoli residents, shouting "Gaddafi is the enemy of God" and shaking their fists, vowed on Saturday to fight Gaddafi at the funeral of a man killed by the Libyan leader's soldiers. In a poor neighbourhood of the Libyan capital that is openly defiant of Gaddafi's more than 41-year-old rule, hundreds of men gathered to pay tribute to one of five people they said had been killed when troops fired on protesters late on Friday. The number could not be independently confirmed. "We will demonstrate again and again, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow," said Isham, 34, an engineer. His voice breaking with emotion, another man, Ismail, said: "Gaddafi forces came here, they shot everywhere during a demonstration that was peaceful." From Misurata, a major city 200km east of Tripoli, residents and exile groups said by telephone that a thrust by forces loyal to Gaddafi, operating from the local airport, had been rebuffed by the opposition. "There were violent clashes last night and in the early hours of the morning near the airport," Mohammed, a resident of the town, said. "An extreme state of alert prevails in the city." He said several mercenaries from Chad had been detained by the anti-Gaddafi opposition in Misurata. The report could not be verified but was similar to accounts elsewhere of Gaddafi deploying fighters brought in from African states where he has longstanding allies. k Abdul Amir Al-Basri says he was beaten by police after peacefully protesting in Bahrain [Ben Piven/AJE] Manama, Bahrain - Abdul Amir Al-Basri looks sullen and defeated, with a deep black bruise below his right eye, a large bump on the top of his head, and further evidence of police mistreatment on his right hip and ankle. A driver for the Almoayyed Group, one of Bahrain's biggest conglomerates, Al-Basri missed at least one week of work, as he was detained in Hod Al-Jaf prison on the island of Muharraq near the airport. He says he spent four days there, along with two other detainees who were also picked up on the morning of February 17, when Manama police raided peaceful protesters camped out at Pearl Roundabout. Authorities accused Al-Basri, 37, of monitoring the security services on behalf of the protesters. He admits to being an informal organiser for the anti-government demonstrators who occupy the symbolic heart of the city. But he denies that he was spying on the police. His case is illustrative of tensions that were significantly inflamed by last week's clashes. Al-Basri has suffered worse brutality than most Bahrainis who side with the opposition. But his case is representative of the gripes that predominantly Shia anti-government protesters harbor against Bahrain's ruling clique. For him, political issues top the list, but economic problems are not far behind. And socioeconomic disparities between the Sunni elite and Shia protesters are accentuated by sectarian differences. Many believe the government is keen to play up the religious rift as part of a divide-and-conquer strategy. Shia are a majority of Bahraini nationals, though citizens are only half of the country's approximately 1.2 million population - the other half being migrant workers, mostly from South Asia. Defusing the political crisis Bahrain's king has sought negotiations to end the long-running political standoff that escalated February 14 with the first in a string of anti-government protesters shot dead. The main Shia Islamist bloc, Wefaq, had rejected the advance as long as the military was in the street. Although the army pulled back a week ago, Wefaq seems poised to take advantage of political cachet gained after security forceskilled seven protesters in a public relations catastrophe for the regime. Bahrain's anti-government camp is calling for a genuine constitutional democracy in which "the royal family is no longer a ruling family, but just a royal family", says Ibrahim Sharif, leader of the secular-liberal Wa'ad party and the most prominent Sunni member of the opposition. The protesters are requesting a new prime minister who is popularly elected and a bicameral parliament - with newly enhanced powers - that is fully elected. Currently, the upper house of parliament is selected by the king and dominates the lower house, elected by the people as per the 2002 constitution. "We don't yet know whether [the government] is serious and whether the principle of the dialogue is to end up with a constitution where the people elect 100 per cent of the parliament," Sharif tells Al Jazeera. "If not, then there’s no point sitting at the table." Wefaq leaders explain their party's platform [AJE] Core structural changes - if enacted - could pacify the protesters, who complain that about half of cabinet posts are filled by members of the Khalifa family. During the past few days, the government has already moved to sack five ministers and has announced therelease of 300 prisoners, including 23 alleged terror suspects. The selection of two Shia to become housing and health ministers likely aims to reverse discrimination in public services. At Bahrain’s protests, "Down, down, Khalifa" (in English) is a common slogan. While hard-line protesters want to boot the whole family, every demonstrator is passionate about the ouster of Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, who assumed office in 1971. In his address to the nation on February 18, accomodating Crown Prince Salman, whose job is more secure than the prime minister's, said, "Youths are going out on the street believing that they have no future in the country ... But this country is for you all, for the Shia and Sunnis". Despite this claim, protesters say the situation on the ground is different. The Bahraini security forces are mostly made up of Sunnis from countries like Jordan, Yemen and Pakistan - allegedly including those who opened fire on Bahrainis in their own capital. Economic malaise Continued political upheaval in the island kingdom threatens to derail a vibrant economy, but protesters say they have waited long enough, that a Formula One Grand Prix event cancellation by the crown prince is a small price to pay. The Index of Economic Freedom, published by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal, lists Bahrain as the freest economy in the Middle East/North Africa. It is tenth overall in the world, just behind the US. Unlike many other Gulf states, Bahrain is not entirely driven by petroleum. The government has fashioned Bahrain as a business and commercial hub to attract investment. Decent employment and a piece of national prosperity are the main economic demands of anti-government protesters. In the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index, Bahrain was ranked 48th in the world, reflective of a gradual decline since 2003, when it was ranked 27th. This is a shift grasped by protesters, who reject the domineering Khalifa family - which makes up less than half of one per cent of Bahrain’s population. Many young Shia suggest that pervasive bias prevents them from advancing professionally. And they also accuse the government of bringing in foreign Sunnis instead of hiring Bahraini Shia. A young woman who gave her name as Mona says she could not get a permanent contract to work in a public sector department because she is Shia. "At my previous government job, I was referred by a Sunni friend, but they didn’t know I was Shia," says Mona. "Then they asked her why she had helped advance a Shia's career. In certain sensitive projects, they just don’t want us involved." Mona extrapolated the current Bahraini situation onto the pyramid representing psychologist Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. "Al Khalifa wants to keep people wanting to fulfill just basic necessities," she says. "Once we move up, then we'll demand more and more political goodies." But Mona also says that the psychology of the protest movement is rooted in the particularly Shia concept of suffering and Imam Hussein's struggle. Mona also alludes to a doctrinal difference that compels Bahrain's Shia - who largely belong to the sect led by Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, based in Najaf, Iraq - to overthrow their political leadership if it is taking the country in the wrong direction. Mona believes that the struggle for political change in Bahrain is religiously infused, but she acknowledges that their demands are socioeconomic at heart. "I grew up in a mixed area of Manama, and most of my friends are Sunni. Half my family is Sunni. Three of my cousins are married to Sunnis. My mother’s brother is married to a Sunni," Mona says. "And two of my husband’s siblings are married to Sunnis." She continues, "They used to celebrate Ashura with us. If a Sunni woman couldn’t get pregnant, she would come eat our rice to increase her fertility". Deep sectarian split "We had no dates for Valentine's Day, so we came here on February 14 [Bahrain's 'Day of Rage'] to have a date with our country" Maryam, anti-government protester at Pearl Roundabout One young Bahrain University student at Pearl Roundabout named Jasmine says she has Shia friends with grade point averages of 97 out of 100 who are unable to get good jobs. But Jasmine also says that she was happy with the sense of camaraderie generated by the protest movement, mentioning a banner that reads: "Thank you, Khalifa. You brought us together". Another college student, Maryam, studies at the New York Institute of Technology in Manama. She remembers the first day that she and her two sisters came to Pearl Roundabout. "We had no dates for Valentine’s Day, so we came here on February 14 [Bahrain's 'Day of Rage'] to have a date with our country." Maryam says that after the February 17 police raid on Pearl Roundabout, many of her Sunni classmates who normally say "hi" in the hallway simply do not acknowledge her. "And at least 12 people un-followed me on Twitter," Maryam says, explaining how many of her Sunni friends did not approve of her tweets in support of the opposition. Jasmine, the Bahrain University student, adds that she de-friended 10 of her 222 Facebook friends to avoid the awkwardness of pro-government classmates reading her anti-government status updates. One student from Sacred Heart high school, Mohamed Al-Arian, identifies as an anti-government protester. He comes from a mixed marriage, with a Shia father and a Sunni mother. He summarises the conflict bluntly, “They [Sunnis] just don’t want to be ruled by Shias". Protest leaders say that few Sunni anti-government people can be found at Pearl Roundabout, but Mesh’al Mohamed, 22, an electric guitarist, has returned many times. “Most Sunnis are afraid to come here. Their biggest fear is physical safety," he says, adding that he considers himself apolitical. "But no one would agree to see their brothers and sisters killed without doing anything about it." Pearl Roundabout casualties "We like Hezbollah, yes. Iran, yes," says Said Jalal, a 45-year-old accountant from Manama. "Everybody likes Hassan Nasrallah. And we all watch Al Manar and Al Alam [television networks run by Hezbollah and the Iranian government, respectively] ... But this current political crisis is an internal matter to be resolved by the Bahraini people". His acquaintance, Nabeel Murad, 38, follows that line of reasoning. "Bahraini people don’t have any problem with people of any nationality. We are friendly people. There aren't any terrorists [in Pearl Roundabout]." Jasim Husain Ali, a university professor and former member of the lower house of parliament from the Wefaq party, says that the February 17 assault on peaceful protesters at Pearl Roundabout "only prolongs the crisis". At a press conference the following day, he says, “The crime of the day only makes things worse. We call for a probe into the military crackdown.” In the aftermath of the attack, Bahrain’s state TV showed pictures of pistols and knives that had allegedly been kept by protesters at Pearl Roundabout. State media also said that security forces gave fair warning before evicting demonstrators from the symbolic heart of Manama. But opposition members say that if people had guns, they would have been used to protect women and children. They also say that people would not have brought families to the roundabout if they expected violence. Eyewitnesses said that demonstrators yelled "peaceful, peaceful" at the police but were only given a one-minute warning - from a tiny megaphone not audible from most of the square - before the police began firing tear gas, rubber bullets, and shotgun pellets at close range. Abdul Rahman, a Sunni Bahraini who has a family-owned optical business at upscale Seef Mall, believes that the protesters were largely at fault. He argues that no one was actually sleeping at the square and that proper warning was given. Rahman also says the current parliamentary system works perfectly well. "A lot of Shia don’t even agree with what’s happening," he says. "But tomorrow, if the government makes certain changes against my interests, then I’ll be sitting in that roundabout too." Khalil Marzouk was vice president of the parliament before his Wefaq party withdrew to protest the speed of reforms. Marzouk says that the regime had no excuse to use the army. “You cannot go up to someone sleeping and say go home and then start shooting him," he says. "But, the bottom line is nobody cares who rules as long as they get human rights." Though hard-liners on both sides may have had the upper hand last week, the region anxiously waits to see whether cooler heads in the government and the opposition manage to prevent a "slow burn", as anti-government protesters have warned. "The dialogue should start at Pearl Roundabout" remains the stance of disaffected Bahrainis who fear that yet more citizens will have to die before the government meets their demands.