By Kaki Bedal
The only question now, after the highest court uphold the decision against a former prime minister from UMNO, is how will the party fare in the coming general election, the 15th edition.
My bet is UMNO will pummel other parties, for one very simple reason – the verdict against its former president whose name i will not need to mention.
The momentum is with UMNO.
It has won many by-elections and the last two state elections albeit with its former president also campaigning since the 2018 general election.
The highest court’s verdict against UMNO’s former leader is a killer blow to UMNO’s rivals? This is not a strange claim.
Since 2018, so many allegations of corruption and abuse of power were hurled against UMNO and its leaders but did not hurt the party and its candidates at all. So, why?
Simple. UMNO is no longer in power.
People can now compare which of the political bloc are actually good for the country, administratively.
And, it’s because the political bloc that took over power was a bunch of nincompoops (stupid/foolish group of people), who only knows politicking and nothing else.
Instead of taking the country to new heights, they took the country to new lows which is exactly the reason why ‘Atok’ resigned, the Anwar factor notwithstanding.
I will concentrate on the theme – Malaysians are smarter than some people think.
Let’s talk about people who rejoiced after the highest court in the land made the decision against the former PM, meaning those who are rivals of UMNO.
No need to mention their names as well because we know them too.
First, this refers to the person who came out from the cave and highlighted corruption issues to malign UMNO and its former president and current president.
A second person is “Atok” who said that it is highly likely that the former UMNO leader will get a royal pardon.
A third person is famous for his sodomy case, also a former deputy prime minister and the longest waiting PM, claiming that the verdict shows our judiciary independence and that the former UMNO leader will find life in jail tough.
Malaysians by now know these three persons tactic already.
They have no other tactic other than accusing their political enemies of wrongdoing endlessly.
They hope by doing that Malaysians will agree and forget everything else.
That Malaysians will forget that the ‘caveman’ had been charged in court as well but ‘escaped’ with help from his friends.
That Malaysians will forget “Atok” once said the manifesto is not ‘kitab suci’ and for the rakyat to ‘ikat perut’ when facing economic difficulties.
That Malaysians will forget the former Sg Buloh prisoner many shenanigans during his facing court days too while accepting second fiddle to “Atok” before again being denied Premiership by the same person.
Guess I have to mention his name after all – Datuk Seri Najib Razak, while having to face a mountain of court cases, probably has his own strategy.
This is pure speculation on my part but I believe that’s the path chosen by him to be of service to UMNO albeit he has to sacrifice himself.
Since 2018, nobody else from UMNO has been the target of his political enemies more than Najib, and he let them do that.
Whether one realises it or not, Najib’s enemies are so obsessed of painting so much negativity about him especially mentioning 1MDB and other alleged misconduct that they have lost elections big and small one after another and continue to whack the former PM.
All that without realising that the ground has changed since 2018.
Najib strategy is easy.
Let UMNO’s enemies target him all they want.
Without so much of countering his enemies assertions, UMNO’s rivals continue to dig their own grave.
Four years after Barisan Nasional’s lost power, it is their political rivals who are now at sixes and sevens seen as insincere in their politics and power hungry bloc with no vision to build the nation.
If Najib is in trouble with the law, some of his enemies are in the dock too.
What does this say about them?
Dishonest is one word i would use.
Malaysians has now seen how much destruction a government who only knows politicking can bring to the country and to the rakyat.
Has replacing GST with SST a good thing?
How about playing golf in the office.
No toll booth closed when they’re in power. Public aid trimmed.
How about RM30 cash transfer?
Those were among the few gems Malaysians are still thinking. Remember New Malaysia tagline? Wonder where that has gone.
In short, Najib sacrifice himself for the greater good, whether for UMNO time will tell though indications such as by-elections and state elections are proof of his strategy, intended or otherwise.
And, in short, Malaysians realise this.
- The writer is an experienced analyst and media practitioner of over 30 years in the industry.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of BACALAHMALAYSIA.MY)
