Najib in the intensifying and costly Perak blame game

By Wong Choon Mei

Even as Prime Minister Najib Razak continued to play the blame game, senior BN coalition partners MCA and Gerakan are urging the Umno president to end the political stalemate in Perak and call for a snap election.

Said Chua Soi Lek, deputy president of the Chinese-based MCA: ““Let the rakyat decide, and once and for all, we resolve this problem which is not doing anybody any good.”

Said Hsu Dar Ren, Gerakan central committee member: “It is the only sensible solution to the problem. The decision on who should form the rightful government should no longer be decided in court but rather by the people of Perak, going by the very basic principle of democracy.”

But Najib, who orchestrated the February putsch that toppled the Pakatan Rakyat administration, plunging the northwestern into a constitutional and political quagmire had only this to say:

“I don’t know. It is up to the MB to decide on the next course of action. We are going to appeal to the Court of Appeal because we respect the due process of law and let’s take it from there.”

Tossing the hot potato

Few Malaysians have much faith left in their sixth prime minister. Not only does Najib come with a ‘past record of political baggage’, he has been embroiled in many corruption scandals including the internationally infamous Altantuya Shaariibuu murder-and-commission case.

Last month, he tossed the Perak hot potato to Zambry Kadir, the BN Menteri Besar to whom he had relinquished the state Umno chief post to as it became apparent that he had lost control over the situation.

But despite Najib’s doublespeak, nobody has any doubts that he is indeed Zambry’s boss and puppet-master.

“It is not just Gerakan and MCA. Even Tengku Razaleigh who is a veteran Umno leader too understands that a snap election is the only way out,” said Tian Chua, Keadilan strategic affairs director.

“It is evident the rational part of Umno and BN understand this. But Najib has refused to accept this. If he keeps on being stubborn just to please the hardliners in Umno, he will only further discredit his party and shame the nation.”

Face it. He needs to recoup the RM50 million he ‘invested’.

Too many other political watchers have also urged Najib to let the Perak people choose their own leaders, including the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia or Suhakam. But their advice have fallen on deaf ears.

Some analysts believe it is not just a matter of ‘face’ for Najib to cling to control in Perak, but also a hard case of ringgit and sens. He has been accused of spending not less than RM50 million to attract three Pakatan assemblymen over to his BN coalition. Najib needs to justify this ‘investment’, they said.

More startling still was Najib’s latest word on the matter. According to him, whether or not Perak should have fresh election was up to its Sultan, not him - a mere prime minister!

“It should not be for me to decide. It should be for the Sultan to decide. It is the judgment of the Sultan,” Najib said.

Perhaps he did not realise it. But his flippant words belie the irresponsibility of his character and insensitivity to wishes of the people, especially the Chinese and Indians, who form a large chunk of the Perak population.

Is he taking us for fools, they ask. If it is up to the Sultan and not based on the recommendation of the chief executive, then Malaysia would not be a constitutional monarchy but an absolute one!

So are we dumb or is our PM dumb?

Source : Suara Keadilan