The Shifting Political Wind

[bakr...@juno.com]

 

 

The Shifting Political Wind 

M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com

 

 

In the animal world, once you are perceived as being weak or desperate, your predator would pounce on you fast and without mercy. This is also true if not more so in the animalistic world of politics.

 

      Najib’s political desperation was evident long before he dissolved Parliament. There was the fast passage of the Fake News Act, the blatant and obscene gerrymandering exercises, and last but most despicable of all, his making the police and armed services chiefs pledge allegiance to him instead of king and country, as they were sworn to do upon taking office.

 

     Najib hoped those antics would strengthen his position ahead of the election. 

 

     The low was on nomination day when Mahathir was prevented to fly to Langkawi to file his papers. His pilot said that the plane was not safe. Mahathir charged sabotage. Najib did not factor in the kindness of others, or that he could not control everyone and everything. Mahathir found another plane. That sabotage attempt was not only pathetic but also dangerous. We are talking about lives endangered here, that of the pilot and his passengers. 

 

     Najib threatened to charge Mahathir under the new Fake News Act. Mahathir ignored him and kept repeating the serious charge. Najib’s threat was but an empty one, his impotence exposed for all to see. Or may be that Mahathir’s charge of sabotage was not fake news after all.

 

     The top military commander also retracted his misplaced allegiance to Najib after Mahathir sent him and his fellow commanders an open letter reminding them of their oath of office. A few days later the naval chief issued an unprecedented command to his sailors. They were free to vote for whichever candidate and party they choose. He assured them that their votes would remain secret. He was widely lauded for his brave action. 

 

     Brave is not too a strong a word here. After all this is Malaysia. The fact that he had to issue that command in the first place speaks volumes of the country’s democratic processes. The police chief too followed suit and issued a similar statement.

   

    Mahathir’s open letter was more powerful than whatever Prime Minister Najib may have said earlier to his police and military chiefs. Or those chiefs had put their wet fingers in the air and felt that the wind was changing direction.

 

    Najib’s most comical act of desperation was having his Elections Commission (EC) issue a directive to tear down Mahathir’s pictures on election billboards! It was a sorry sight to have those otherwise unemployable young Malays in their EC uniforms climbing the scaffoldings to tear down those giant posters. In the end, unable to complete their task fast enough, they resorted to just cutting out Mahathir’s face. Then still not fast enough, they just pasted on blank sheets to cover his face. Pathetic!

 

     The order was given out so hastily and without much thought that, conspicuous by its absence, I did not see those workers wearing any safety harness when they were climbing those billboards. Their supervisors were either irresponsible or too dumb not to think of their workers’ safety. They considered their workers’ lives cheap.

 

     Realizing that the 1MDB scandal was a major issue, Najib sent the company’s CEO to campaign for him, a PR man – and not a very good one at that – masquerading as chief executive. The poor man bitterly complained that no one came out to hear him. Touching! He would have been better off and more persuasive had he simply released 1MDB’s audited financials, standard for all companies. He could not; the company had none. That’s the crux of 1MDB’s problem. It does not take a CPA or MBA to figure that out, and fast. Any CEO who does not grasp that on his first day at work is not chief executive material but an expensive hired hand.

 

     Long before Najib announced the election he had his Registrar of Societies, a mousy Malay lady, her impressive title notwithstanding, deny the registration of Mahathir’s party. As such its candidates, Mahathir included, could not use the party’s name or symbol. For added measure and not satisfied with just tearing down Mahathir’s pictures, EC directed that Mahathir could not campaign beyond his constituency as he is not head of a registered national party. He blithely ignored that and stormed the country, taking his campaign right to Putrajaya and Pekan, Najib’s home town, and drawing huge crowds.

 

     Mahathir’s flouting EC’s directives again exposed Najib’s impotence. Most heartening of all, despite his 92 years of age and recent frequent attacks of bronchitis, Mahathir had no difficulty delivering his pungent messages. And they resonated with the electorate. The campaign invigorated him; a patriot on his mission to save his country. 

 

     What a contrast to Najib; he was inarticulate, stumbled over his words, and could hardly wipe off the saliva drooling from his lips. A thief caught with the loot.

 

     This Wednesday, May 9, 2018, election day, voters will have a chance to be predators and rid Malaysia of her weak and desperate leaders. Go for the jugular and grab Najib by the neck and decapitate UMNO. It is time for Malaysia to have strong, competent, and confident leaders with integrity. Elect Mahathir and his coalition.