Najib ‘did not shine’ — Dr M

KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Malaysia’s incoming prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak needs to take swift action to reverse declining support for the government that has ruled for 51 years, influential ex-prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad told Reuters.

Mahathir was prime minister of this Southeast Asian country for 22 years until 2003, and his attacks on his successor Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi helped catalyse opposition to Abdullah in the main ruling party which led to him quitting office early.

Najib will take power at the end of March and will have to deal with the worst economic downturn since the Asian financial crisis of 1998 as well as rebuilding a party tainted with corruption and still bruised by last year’s big election losses.

“A lot of people are uncertain. Having watched Najib’s performance as deputy (prime minister), he did not shine,” Mahathir said a week before the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), the main party in the ruling coalition, holds internal polls.

“Najib can do well, but we will have to see, because when I asked Abdullah to appoint him as deputy I had a lot of hope for him, but he did not perform the way I expected,” Mahathir said today.

Najib is standing unopposed to be Umno president, a post that traditionally carries with it the premiership, but there are tough battles for the deputy presidency and other top posts.

Mahathir did praise Najib’s action as finance minister in putting together a 60 billion ringgit package of spending to try to offset the looming recession, contrasting it with Abdullah’s performance as the previous finance minister.

However, Najib does arrive with the kind of baggage that no other Malaysian leader had on entering office.

He has been linked on the internet blogs to a brutal murder of a Mongolian model, Altantuya Shariibuu. Although he has firmly denied involvement and there is no evidence to tie him to the death, he was challenged again in parliament last week over the issue by an opposition lawmaker.

His popularity rating stands at just 41 per cent, according to a recent poll by independent pollster the Merdeka Centre, and that is less than the 46 per cent enjoyed by Abdullah.

“Legally he has cleared his name (over Altantuya). But whether people will perceive that he has cleared his name or not is something he cannot decide,” Mahathir said.

One of the ways that Najib can fight back against negative perceptions is to stamp out corruption in Umno and the 13-party National Front coalition, Mahathir said.

“Today the problem with Umno is that people see it as a corrupt party and it has no credibility and they really look down on Umno as being irrelevant.”

If Umno fails to tackle corruption, Mahathir warned that it would lose power to the opposition and its leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar was Mahathir’s chosen successor until he was sacked as deputy prime minister and convicted on what he says were trumped up sodomy and corruption charges at the end of the 1990s.

Anwar faces new sodomy charges in court that could see him jailed for 20 years, ending his political career.

“He (Anwar) is not to be trusted. He will do anything to become prime minister,” Mahathir said.

“During the time when he was my deputy, he was involved in cronyism. He supported a lot of his own people, they became very rich, because he gave contracts to them,” the former prime minister said. — Reuters

 

Mahathir in a bind, legacy at stake

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has caused a stir again in domestic politics. Mahathir threatened to name names of those who indulged in money politics as the lobbying and jostling for the UMNO party elections have begun in earnest during the divisional meetings.

Mahathir went on to say that he will submit the reports that he have in his possession to the UMNO Disciplinary Committee as well as the Anti Corruptions Agency (ACA).

He said if these efforts turn out to be futile, he will then name those involved in money politics in his blog.

One wonder why is Mahathir suddenly intends to become the messiah to cleanse UMNO of money politics at this current moment.

When he was ruling UMNO with all his grandeur and aplomb he did not do enough to stop the rot, and now when he is not even a member of UMNO, he feels indebted to the party that he is taking this drastic action.

It was Mahathir and his posse of ‘yes-man’ during his 22-years rule in UMNO that has caused the ills of money politics to become entrenched in the party.

As the country grew in leaps and bounds economically, so did the party leaders.

UMNO leaders under Mahathir were openly talking about projects, shares and the stock markets.

The rhetorics of fighting for the Malays were never their intention and focus; it is always about the money.

Hence, Mahathir has taught these UMNO leaders that money will buy power that will in turn generate more money.

The vicious cycle has gone unchecked and turned UMNO on its head.

UMNO is not the party that has always been about servicing and to ensure the welfare of the Malays is safeguarded.

Mahathir now feels that he has to right the wrong that he did.

But will he become the honest broker?

Is he willing to name those that he is backing?

Is he willing to expose the misdeeds of his son, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir who is running for the Youth Chief post?

Knowing Mahathir, we can expect for him to never even touch his son, maybe even defend Mukhriz on the charges of money politics.

It is common knowledge that Mukhriz is not absolved from money politics and he even tried to dispel notions that he is among the guilty ones.

Mukhriz have had to go on the defensive to try and make it as if he is clean and the charges are slanderous.

However, grassroots Youth leaders on the ground can attest thatMukhriz and his agents have been approaching Youth leaders on his behalf in order to ‘buy’ and secure nominations for the top post in the wing.

One who goes by the name ‘Anaz’ has been throwing away cash amounting to tens of thousands for each division.

When Mukhriz raced to the lead in the early stages, there were confident voices in his camp that Mukhriz might win uncontested.

However, as the Youth divisions were getting information that Mukhriz camp is actively ‘buying’ nominations, his reputation was tarnished and nominations trickled in almost to a halt.

Divisions began to nominate other candidates and Mukhriz had to fend of allegations and allegations of indulging in money politics.

Now, would Mahathir be man enough to post the reports of money politics that his son, Mukhriz is involved in.

The answer is a definite No – No.

Mahathir will not do that as it will kill off the political ambitions that he has for his son.

It will also spell doom for the dream that he has for Mukhriz to rise in politics and be slated for the Prime Minister’s post.

That is the end all and be all for Mahathir’s hope of having his legacy to be continued in the form of Mukhriz.

Hence, Mahathir’s rant on those involved in money politics is to ensure that his choices for the deputy president to the youth chief to be well and safe.

Mahathir has shown time and again that he is one who will go the extra length to get what he wants.

He is almost like a child throwing tantrum in order to get attention.
By Musa Osman