Umno: Mahathir and Najib in aTitanic Struggle
COMMENT: It is a stalemate at this point in time. Najib clings precariously to power while the anti-Najib camp led by Tun Dr. Mahathir receives a boost from a number of developments.
The continued detention of Khairuddin and
Matthias Chang, the Court’s handling of the Azmi Sharom case, the
unprecedented Council of Rulers decree on the 1MDB matter, the Red Shirt
racism, the resignation of Saifuddin Abdullah from UMNO to join Parti
KeADILan Rakyat, the TPPA, and the state of the Malaysian economy and
our government’s finances which resulted in the toll rate hikes have
contributed to a reversal of fortune in favour of the Mahathir camp.
Najib’s days in power are numbered. His resort to draconian measures
only underscores his desperation, not a source of strength.
So far he has been able to stay in office
because he bought support from UMNO leaders like Sharir Samad, Ahmad
Maslan and the son of Keruak from Sabah. How much more will he spend
buying loyalty, and where is he going to find the money.
Our Treasury is
running dry. IMDB is under scrutiny ,and his capacity to raise money
from the capital markets is restricted and our new loans can be
expensive. Maybe he has to go to Saudi Arabia for additional donations
or sell some of his assets held overseas to retain his party’s fidelity.
At the end of the day, he should realise
that unless he can deal realistically with the economy (and we have to
wait for his Budget 2015-2016 proposals to know what he has in mind for
the economy), he is done for. There is actually nothing much that he can
do to boost confidence in his administration. We no longer trust him
and want him out the sooner the better.
His resignation is the antidote needed to
prevent a serious economic recession. The signs of economic hardship
are there for us to experience.
But neither he nor his panel of economic
experts led by Wahid Omar are prepared to acknowledge that our economic
woes are serious and must be resolved as a matter of top priority. But
he cannot be the man to do it, since he created this mess in the first
place.
When the economy turns against him and he
can no longer provide the cash to retain the loyalty of his UMNO
greedy and corrupt supporters, Najib will be thrown out of his
premiership and UNMO Presidency. And he is smart enough politically to
know his end is near. He must now negotiate his way out. Wishful
thinking?–Din Merican
It looks like the Samosa law is giving
our senior and veteran politicians the thunder belly. Could it be that
the triangular pastries from Najib’s kitchen were too spicy for them?
Matthias Chang and Khairuddin Abu Hassan,
who are known Mahathir helpers, have been sent to the dungeon under the
Sosma law. Tummy aches aside, the indignant Chang has sworn not to eat
or drink until he is released.
The irrepressible Tun has little choice
but to turn the detention of his two proxies into a war cry to extract
outrage from the flagging anti-Najib campaign. Any energising drink will
do at this stage.
The anti-Najib polemic has worn a little
thin in recent days with the media having to recap the same arguments
over and over. And now that two of Mahathir’s star proxies have been
neutralised, how does he keep the momentum going? The impetus is clearly
driven by Mahathir’s efforts. No effort, no budge.
The dissident camp has had a hard time
overcoming its inertia since the UMNO Supreme Council met last month.
Muhyiddin effectively painted himself into a corner by saying that he
would work for the good of the party above all else.
So he couldn’t well
be seen to be disruptive soon after making such conciliatory sounds.
The nonagenarian Tun has had to do all the heavy lifting by himself
since and spirits have been on the ebb.
Whether arranged or just fortuitous for
the Tun, the pre-council meeting of the Rulers’ Conference produced a
rare statement, calling for a swift resolution to the damaging 1MDB
debacle and for those responsible to be brought to book. This provided
the much needed shove to get Muhyiddin rolling once again so that the
Tun would not have to play it solo.
There is no doubt that the royal decree,
or “advisory” as those in the Najib camp would prefer, has invigorated
the moderate seniors and veterans of UMNO and BN enough to grace the
press meet at Mahathir’s Perdana Foundation.
Ku Li was seated
conspicuously on Mahathir’s left and Muhyiddin on the right. That the
old foes might have buried the hatchet speaks volumes for what could be a
sign of interesting days to come. Others seated at the high table were
Sanusi Junid, Shafie Apdal and Ong Tee Keat.
While all the talk is about moving a
“no-faith vote” at the next sitting of parliament, which starts this
Monday, Ku Li said it would be an exercise in futility as it is widely
expected that the Speaker would disallow the move. He promised to
enlighten the media on the other options later. Ku Li’s cryptic options
could possibly hinge on the role of parliament as well, provided there
are sufficient numbers for the upcoming showdown.
All investigative efforts to take the lid
off 1MDB’s pot of alleged improprieties have come to nought. Whether by
hook or by crook, the lid has stayed stubbornly shut, and for whatever
reasons, the investigators seem too scared or unsure if they are even
supposed to follow the scent trail to conclusion.
Malaysians have never seen a titanic struggle of wills on this scale and with as many bends and twists.
The face-off between Najib and Mahathir
was never going to be a duel fought according to Marquis of Queensbury
rules. That was clear from the get-go.
But it is ironic that the
veterans, coordinated by Mahathir, should be the innovators by seeking
to boldly go where no one has gone before, while the junior incumbents
have taken siege positions behind fortress walls, quite willing to stamp
out any perceived threats via old-fashioned iron-fisted might and
draconian laws dressed up as new.
There’s not even the pretence any more
that the shoe must fit the Cinderellas in detention.
The PM’s style has regressed towards the
kind of iron-fisted authoritarianism that he vowed would not happen
under his watch. And the famously conservative and dictatorial style of
Mahathir has undergone an unexpected reversal.
He actually sounds like a
progressive democrat when he talks about people’s right to protest and
the current dangers of having a dissenting view.
This duel is pulling the middle ground
apart and the people must decide on which side of the middle they would
prefer to be when the dust finally settles.
Whatever Ku Li’s cryptic “other options”
may be, it must bypass the Speaker of the House and be constitutional.
They most probably hinge on parliamentary support being effective
against the PM. So the crucial deal is still whether they can muster the
numbers in time for D-Day.
We leave the readers to work out what
those “other” possibilities might be.This clash of might against savvy
is steering our adolescent democracy to a path where no Malaysian has
trod before. Just as there is a risk of chaos, there is also a huge
opportunity to learn from – and correct – the mistakes that have made
the system open to abuse.
Hopefully, the right people will be
chosen to advance the system to a higher ethical and moral standard.
That would be a governance model that listens and rights the wrongs that
are inherent in poorly made laws.
It would be a system that is
sensitive to the peoples’ need for space to express themselves within
reason, a system equipped to serve all citizens fairly and squarely
without having to resort to oppression to justify its existence.
