Mahathir, the embattled warrior now hounded by political enemies both within his party and without, shows his mettle by travelling to Japan at a time when an important by-election is being held to replace a party minion who died after a fall in his tub.

It is widely believed that he is out of the country because his unpopularity makes him a political liability, something of an irony for a man who has loudly proclaimed that he would go willingly when the people no longer want him.

He avoids facing the reality of this by pointing to rigged election results, boasting that it indicates public support. He avoids the public though, because there are too many questions he just cannot afford to truthfully answer.

In his absence, his ministers are making law from motorback as they travel through the Teluk Kemang constituency, attempting to convince the pig farmers that their money was not stolen and that voila! Here it is.

And now, through an amazingly swift parliamentary process, a decision has been made, apparently without debate or dissent, by the quick edict of the agriculture minister that the forbidden pig farming is to continue "in the near future...with conditions".

Whether this is another instance of tyrannical efficiency in action or an emergency effort to quiet the voters' hunger for sweet revenge is a matter of little conjecture.

In Japan they love him, so they say. Ahhh, now, is this really so? The Japanese have a sophisticated electorate and are veterans of significant political intrigue. Mahathir gives interviews in Japan, as if they are breathlessly awaiting his next word on the dangers of globalisation and the evil West.

He entertains them further with his personal evaluation of his paternal compassion for the kampung folk, while the Japanese listen, entranced ... or so we are told.

Japan is an island country dependant on its neighbours for essential resources, such as oil, rubber and tin. These imports must be paid for either in cash or through trade. Japan has made enormous investments in Malaysia as a trading partner over the years and Malaysia has now become a too-big-to-fail component in their economy.

They cannot really ignore Malaysia's prime minister. But are they letting him know in various ways that they don't care for him? He is given short shrift in diplomatic circles, and kept away from the Western diplomats in the front row. We are not told of the meetings he has with the Japanese prime ministers, the late Obuchi, or the present Mori. Why is this? Were there no meetings?

While Mahathir can play tough with Malaysian oil, he has come, hat in hand, too many times to be either very much feared or welcomed. He is like a poor relative, always around for dinner, and expecting a privileged seat at the table.

His tirades are diplomatically ignored, and he is given a podium to exercise his ego now and again. Nobody takes him seriously anymore. He is considered tiresome, and all Asia is waiting politely for his exit. Asia is known for its patience.