Mahathir's leadership communication: Exploring the Indians’ political and non-governmental organisations experience

Abstract

In general, there were many studies have been conducted analysing leadership communication from the majority's group but fewer studies were conducted from the minority's perspective. Mahathir was perceived as a leader who merely focused on the development of the majority group (Malay) and marginalised the minority communal, including the Indians. Interestingly, despite his Ultra Malay rhetoric, the Indians in Malaysia showed advancement in various sectors including politics, economics and social. Therefore, this exploratory study aims to fill in the gap by investigating the influence of Mahathir's leadership communication from Indians political leaders and NGOs perspective in Malaysia. The transformational leadership theory was used to investigate the phenomena. In-depth interview was utilised to get an insight of the experiences of this Indians communities on Mahathir's leadership communication. Data were collected through a series of intensive interviews with 12 informants consists of Malaysian based Indian political leaders and representatives of non-governmental organisations. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse and create themes from the data collected. Based on the analysis, three themes were identified; characteristics of Mahathir's leadership communication, Mahathir as the Indian community transformer, and the expected leadership communication qualities of the Indians. This study has contributed to enhance understanding about the impacts of leadership communication from the minority community perspective. Further, it was found that the Indians are significantly affected by Mahathir's leadership communication.

Meneroka Pengaruh Komunikasi Kepemimpinan terhadap Kepuasan Kerja dalam kalangan Kakitangan di Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta Malaysia

“…Tatkala teori kepemimpinan transformasi makin dipopularkan dalam menjelaskan fenomena komunikasi kepemimpinan dalam komuniti bukan Barat, pemahaman empirikal dalam konteks organisasi Timur masih terhad. Lebih-lebih lagi, kebanyakan penyelidikan yang telah dijalankan menganalisis andaian teori komunikasi kepemimpinan tersebut dari perspektif barat atau masyarakat yang bersifat homogen (Lynn-Sze, Norhafezah, & Mohd Khairie, 2014;Barrett, 2014;Fairhurst & Connaughton, 2014;Suppiah, Ahmad, & Gunasekaran, 2018;Suppiah, Ahmad, Yusof, & Velloo, 2019). Penyelidikan komunikasi antara budaya juga menunjukkan bahawa bukan semua andaian teori komunikasi kepemimpinan dapat menjelaskan semua aspek budaya di dunia atau masyarakat yang bersifat heterogen (Hofstede, 2001).…”

Development of Nation State of Malaysia Based on Mahathir Mohamad’s Leadership Model Framework

“…Various national policies, mega projects and the country's advanced direction with the nature of developing the Malaysia nation have been successfully implemented. The initiatives taken are fundamental because most of the initiatives are in the form of programs that change the pattern of thinking, living culture, work ethic, strengthening education and also the economic empowerment of the people (Cheah & Ahmad, 2017a;Omar & Pandian, 2006;Ong, 2005;Suppiah & Gunasekaran, 2018 ). The initiatives launched are beneficial to the people because they succeed in shaping the people to be more competitive in preparation for the globalization process.…”

The Achievement-Oriented Leadership Model in the Development of the Malaysian Nation-State

“…He led the country's administration as the fourth prime minister from June 28, 1981, to October 31, 2003, for 22 years and, as the seventh, from May 10, 2018, to February 24, 2020, before acting as the interim prime minister from the date until March 1, 2020 (Abdullah, 2019;Ong, 2005). His leadership and contributions were undeniable, even though some considered him an autocratic dictator Omar & Pandian, 2006;Ong, 2005;Suppiah, Ahmad & Gunasekaran, 2018). Whether old or new, his leadership is essential and beneficial to the country's administration and development.…”

“…Whether old or new, his leadership is essential and beneficial to the country's administration and development. During his leadership as the fourth prime minister, Malaysia experienced sustainable development and revitalised modernisation until Malaysians accredited him as the Father of Modernisation Omar & Pandian, 2006;Suppiah, Ahmad & Gunasekaran, 2018).…”

“…Like Razak, the initiatives taken by Mahathir were also fundamental. His initiatives consisted of programmes that changed the thinking patterns, living culture, work ethics, education system, and economic empowerment of the Malaysian people Omar & Pandian, 2006;Ong, 2005;Suppiah & Gunasekaran, 2018). These programmes were beneficial to Malaysians based on the significant changes seen amongst Malaysians in the relevant and essential areas as they became increasingly prepared for the process of globalisation.…”