MUHYIDDIN DID AN OPPOSITION BASHING - By : Brigadier General (B) Dato Mohd. Arshad Raji

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - Opposition bashing! Yes, that’s the theme of UMNO Deputy President Muhyiddin’s speech to Wanita, Youth and Puteri delegates at the opening of the party’s general assembly. I wouldn’t want to repeat what all was said by Muhyiddin, but I can only describe the speech as one of the most idiotic speeches ever in the history of the assembly from a statesman who aspires to lead the nation one day.

The audience may have given Muhyiddin a standing ovation after the speech (this is standard procedure), but the fact that by ‘criminalizing’ and bad mouthing all that is opposition, Muhyiddin had exposed his own weakness and that of his party i.e. the fear for the opposition and the party’s uncertain fate in the upcoming general election is very real.

I think Muhyiddin knows this and what best he can do to distract the delegates off the many distressing issues infecting the party, other than to criminalize and bad mouth the opposition. In military tactics, this is called a ruse or feign. But be warn, that such tactics do not guarantee success.

Say what you want, but I think what Muhyiddin did was shameful. As the party’s Deputy President cum Deputy Prime Minister of the country, he should have shown his true leadership prowess by appealing to the audiences all that he aspires of the party and its members, particularly now in the face of an impending general election – the mother of all elections, he claims. He should highlight the weakness and failures of the party (there are numerous) and to outline the corrective measures that he wishes to take to rid the party of such weaknesses.

He should focus his thoughts on how to win the upcoming general election that is threatening the party’s survival by outlining new strategies that should appeal to the voters. He should make a stand on how party members should act and talk henceforth in order to garner public support. He should articulate on how he sees the party in the future and the kind of leaders that should be leading it. Such are the issues and many others that Muhyiddin should have addressed, but not by bashing the opposition.

And if someone were to ask me how would I grade Muhyiddin? I would answer by saying that Muhyiddin is no better than a leader of a third world country who seems lost in his own world and devoid of intellectualism, maturity and progressive ideas. I think President Mugabe is far more intellectual and speaks in more constructive tone.

They say that this year’s UMNO General Assembly is the last before PM Najib calls for the 13th General Elections, believe to be anytime next year. Coincidently the number 13, to some strikes a superstitious eerie feeling that something isn’t going to be right for some people. I am not a soothsayer nor am I a superstitious person, but of late the nation seems to be struck by a number of contentious issues blamed on the government i.e. NFC fiasco, and the most recent being the government’s handling and passing of the Peaceful Assembly Bill amid opposition from activist and civil society.

I also read that Felda Chairman Isa Samad too had made a mess of himself by ridiculing some Felda members in Pahang, knowing full well that Felda settlers form a substantial voter’s pool that may well decide the fate of UMNO/BN during an election. Isa Samad may have overlooked that Felda does not belong to him; rather it belongs to the settlers, and that his past record in politics too is much to be desired.

The above are some of the issues that the rakyat can turn against the government, besides the controversy caused by Rosmah Mansor recently over the multimillion ringgit ring that she denied purchasing and the expensive handbags. Rosmah may not have sense the anger and frustration of the rakyat in the way she spends and the extravagant lifestyle she appears to lead. There is no hiding the fact that the Mak Chik’s in the kampongs are well aware of this too, and this spells certain disaster for her mate i.e. PM Najib. How is she going to appear with Najib during the campaigning and the responses she gets is much awaited by the electorates.

Finally, UMNO leaders bashing of the opposition throughout the general assembly can backfire, for there is already too much that the rakyat knows that UMNO/BN seems oblivious. While UMNO is too engross with party affairs, the opposition is already out in force campaigning. Indeed, and taking the words of Muhyiddin, the upcoming general election will be the “mother of all elections”.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION Posted by Mohd Arshad Raji