Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times

by B. Wain

Overview

Mahathir Mohamad turned Malaysia into one of the developing world's most successful economies. He adopted pragmatic economic policies alongside repressive political measures and showed that Islam was compatible with representative government and modernization. He emerged as a Third World champion and Islamic spokesman by standing up to the West.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780230238732
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	11/30/2009
Series:	Critical Studies of the Asia-Pacific
Edition description:	2009
Pages:	363
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

BARRY WAIN, a former editor of the Asian Wall Street Journal, was Writer-in-Residence at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. An Australian journalist who lived in Asia for 37 years, he was author of The Refused, an account of the refugee outflow from Indochina after the Vietnam War.

Table of Contents

Foreword vi

Part I The Making of a Malay Champion 1

1 Politicized by War and Peace 3

2 An Early Introduction to Brutal Politics 22

Part II Prime Minister for Life, Almost 51

3 From Outcast to Presidential Premier 53

4 The Vision of a Modern Nation 85

5 A Volatile Mix of Business and Politics 124

6 Scandal, What Scandal? 149

7 Big, Bigger, Bust 183

8 An Uncrowned King 197

9 The Perils of a Pragmatic Islam 217

10 A Strident Voice for the Third World 242

11 The Destruction of a Designated Heir 277

Part III Turmoil in Retirement 305

12 A Bare-Knuckle Brawl Over One Man's Legacy 307

13 A Place in History 340

Index 352

Editorial Reviews

'...an astute and thorough new biography...' The Economist

...it reads like a thriller...this is a book about Malaysia that must be read.' The Jakarta Post

'Mr. Wain's book is biography at its best.' The Wall Street Journal

'...a masterful biography...Malaysian Maverick is both meticulous and magisterial. This is journalism of the highest order.' Lowy Institute for International Policy

'Barry Wain's Malaysian Maverick will, for a long time to come, be the best companion for a painful national soul-searching for Malaysia...Wain spent two-and-a-half years painstakingly putting together this revealing book...For those who want a peek into the rollercoaster years under Dr. Mahathir and at the same time search for a different future for Malaysia, this is an indispensable guide.' - Malaysiana

From the Publisher