Perhaps it was the biggest understatement of all. Najib owning up to the hollowness of his 1Malaysia slogan. We however know his game. It was an act of pious humility designed to endear himself to an ever expanding doubting public. We know he is a consummate actor. Having lunch to be with the people at Banana leaf in Jalan Gasing etc etc. maybe he will repeat some of the other things that he has done before, like officially opening a public toilet in a kampong?
Why was he profusely complimenting Mahathir at the UMNO General Assembly while blithely ignoring his immediate predecessor? Because he didn’t have the presence of mind to do what is honorable. Abdullah must be sitting somewhere in front, and Najib cavalierly not cleverly, brushed him aside. Didn’t Abdullah achieve anything during his short stint as PM?
Or because he has never had an iota of appreciation and respect for the colorless Abdullah. Abdullah Badawi has been and still is the object of Mahathir’s invectives.
He did that because he will not be outshone by Muhyidin. When Muhyidin spoke and mentioned Mahathir, he got thunderous applauses on each occasion. So, Najib added those ritualistic outpouring of love for the Man who can walk on water. He knows Mahathir remains a powerful force behind the scenes and he also knows Mahathir can’t stand the sight of that lady. Mahathir’s declaration that Rosmah has the right to stay high profile is actually a death sentence. By now, we should wise up to Mahathir’s subterfuge- he means the opposite of what he says.
All those index finger pointing amounted to nothing other than providing a chance for kampong people to come to KL and do a group big hug. Najib says his 1Malaysia slogan was designed to be vague. Of course it is, because it’s founded on vague principles coming out from an equally vague thinking.
After 55 years, our role should never be to get ourselves holed up in fields, stadiums or buildings ululating Najjib’s our man and Kim Il Sung-ing him.
We all knew it from the beginning. It was a slogan rejected by UMNO delegates a few years back. The other big idea of Naib that got booted out was his New Economic Model. He was left with nothing except affirming the claim that he is after all the son of Tun Razak. That, of course no one can doubt. As to following and emulating the leadership qualities of Tun Razak, people will say, he misses that by a mile. Razak will never countenance any undemocratic practices and the dishonor by which the current PM conducts himself.
Tun Razak despite his personal flaws was a class act compared to Najib who has no class at all. He thinks by out shouting all others, he has established the truth. What he did was to increase people’s cynicism and distrust. People know intuitively that truth in inversely related to decibel level. We can’t ever remember Tun Razak shouting to get his ideas across.
But why did he come out with such outrageous slogans? Perhaps he was persuaded to by his consultants. Perhaps he wanted to establish himself as a profound thinker.
Immediately his ideas were met with opposition from UMNO itself. The UMNO people are in no mood to give up business advantages they got by way of implementing the NEP aims. They are also in no mood to compromise their Malay first in everything mentality. Or in UMNO’s case it isn’t that at all- but UMNO first in everything mentality.
When Najib took to the microphone and said all those wonderful things about Mahathir, everyone knows that Mahathir still calls the shots in UMNO. Najib is not PM material and Mahathir knows Najib is just an errand boy who will soon outlive his usefulness.
What can do Najib do? He will have to ensure his men are chosen to be candidates in the next election. His winnable candidates criteria means loyalty to him above all else. UMNO can go to the dogs as far as he is concerned.
Mahathir wasn’t impressed by Najib’s low class histrionics and dramatization.