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Not only did he alienate the non-Malays with a power grab in Perak, he fractured his own community with his proposals of “unity” with PAS, the second biggest Malay party after Umno. By Wong Choon Mei, Suara Keadilan
As his supporters busied themselves showering and shielding him with praises, Prime Minister Najib Razak is actually sitting neither pretty nor securely at all despite the massive outpourings of sycophancy. Sycophants may be voters but not all voters are sycophants. No amount of contrivance can hide the under-performance nor the fact that he will go down in history as the PM who caused the greatest disunity amongst the people in his first 100 days in office. Not only did he alienate the non-Malays with a power grab in Perak, he fractured his own community with his proposals of “unity” with PAS, the second biggest Malay party after Umno. Najib also shattered the integrity of the country’s judiciary with pressure on the courts to dish out extraordinary rulings that have been condemned by the legal fraternity. While this helped him cling to power in Perak, the seriousness of the loss of confidence in the country and its system has dealt a death-blow that has yet to be fully felt by Malaysians. The repercussions cannot be under-estimated and will reverberate on the economy for years to come. As for his 1Malaysia slogan, it is better known as 1BlackMalaysia and wearing black has become de rigeur amongst the young and the professional despite a nationwide scare campaign he launched with the help of his cousin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. We know what he has destroyed, but what has he built? So in the past 100 days, what has Najib done? The pattern that has emerged is one of destruction, not construction. Ask yourselves, what has Najib built? On the economic front, he has tried to create an image of change by liberalizing the economy but whether the headline announcements will do anything to bring back investments to the country is doubtful. Again TRUST is the all important word and once broken, it may be forever lost. Confidence in the rule of law is vital, not just to foreigners but also to Malaysians. And this must be as per international standards, not according to his warped views nor those of his Chief Justice Zaki Azmi! But sadly, what people see when they look at the country these days is the corruption, which has not changed, the police brutality, which has also not changed, the sham trials in the Perak crisis, which are new, and the overt manipulation in the sodomy case against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, which has recurred. Is it surprising then that they see in Malaysia a country that can no longer be TRUSTED? For this deterioration, Najib will have to take the blame. Even in the dismantling of the PPSMI, the policy of teaching Math and Science in English, his government looks insincere by setting a far-off 2012 implementation deadline instead of 2010. After wasting six years and at least RM4 billion of taxpayers’ money, will Najib really make the switch or will he find a new excuse later on? A preference for form rather than substance It has also become obvious in the past 100 days that ‘face’ is important to Najib. A vain personality, he has shown ruthlessness in standing his ground even when he is in the wrong. Flashy overseas trips, including to China and South Korea, plus incessant talk of his “late father” were his reality. All these while ordinary Malaysians were struggling with a fast-sinking economy, job losses, gross abuse of power by the police, rising tensions in Perak and merciless crackdowns on democracy. In his first 100 days, Najib also arrested more people than even ex-PM Mahathir Mohamad did during the infamous Operasi Lalang in 1980s. Ask yourselves, which other Malaysian PM has ever resorted to banning people from wearing black shirts? Indeed, this triviality is the real revelation of his calibre, not the massive public relations nor obligatory round of cheers ringing through the Umno-BN media. That is merely sham praise for a sham PM. For a true PM would listen to the people and try to correct the wrongs and reinforce the rights. He would build, not destroy. The Pakatan Rakyat did not have to do anything to whittle down his 1Malaysia concept, he did it all himself with his doublespeak. It is on record for Malaysians to assess for themselves if he is indeed a leader whom they can and should trust. —————————————————————————————————————————————–
Suara Keadilan appends below comments from across the political divide sourced from various media and leaves it to Malaysians to tell the PM and his coalition what they really think about him through the ballot box. Lim Kit Siang, DAP adviser
Can Najib’s upsurge in popularity on his 100th day be sustained with a Barisan Nasional victory in Manek Urai by-election in Kelantan next Tuesday and is he confident enough of his national popularity to seek a motion of confidence when Parliament reconvenes on Oct 19, something he had not dared to do in the recent three-week meeting of Parliament? Let Najib answer on his 100th Day – is he confident enough that his popularity is on the rise and public support for his policies and pledges, particularly his slogan of “1Malaysia. People First. Performance Now” and his slew of economic and educational reforms as to seek a motion of confidence from Parliament on the sixth month of his premiership in October? Najib should know that his political, economic and educational reforms have feet of clay. For instance, what credibility could his 1Malaysia slogan command when Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is only prepared to say that “Umno will fight to the last drop of blood to protect Malay rights”, but not prepared to say that Umno will similarly fight to the last drop of blood to protect the rights of all Malaysians, regardless of race? Najib said recently that the Chinese in Malaysia are most concerned about education, economy, religion and crime and he believes that if these four issues can be resolved, the Chinese will continue to support the Barisan Nasional government. It is not just the Chinese, but all Malaysians regardless of race, who are also concerned about these four issues of education, economy, religion and crime. What must be added are corruption and Malaysian citizenship rights. Just on crime and corruption. Is Najib prepared, on the occasion of his 100th Day, take bold measures to send unmistakable messages that he hears and endorses the cries of Malaysian for change, viz:
- Ensure that the country has a new Inspector-General of Police to provide new police leadership to focus on the core functions of police, particularly to keep crime low and make Malaysians feel safe again in their own country; and
- An all-out battle against corruption and malpractices by establishing two Royal Commissions of Inquiry,
1. into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal and
2. into the RM24 million Istana Khir Toyo scandal of former Umno Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo? M Kulasegaran, DAP MP for Ipoh Barat
So far his tenure has been filled with controversy and uncertainty. His dubious 1Malaysia is a copy of DAP’s Malaysian Malaysia. He should be the prime minister for all but he acts for one race but speaks and sounds as if he is representing everybody. Tony Pua, DAP MP for Petaling Utara
Seems like he has been in power forever, fumbling from one crisis to another. His multiple stimulus packages have not worked, then we have the Perak crisis which is still not resolved. His 1 Malaysia message is at odds with what Umno stands for and we have his attempt to wash his hands of the country’s biggest financial scandal – the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone. Anwar Ibrahim, Opposition Leader
Some of the liberalisation measures are needed at least for his own survival and the survival of this country’s economy. It is not whether he wants it or not. Look at the latest figures, both in terms of the recession and also the failure to attract foreign investment. It is disastrous. We have not had the opportunity to look at the details, like Ekuinas, what it means and why the need for a new agency, how transparent will it be? These are the issues that needs to be resolved. I think if you look at the way dissidents and opposition leaders have been treated, the issue of judicial independence, crime rate, the utter failure of the police force in trying to bring confidence and the brutal measures taken for dissent. These things are really worrying signs and this has not been communicated to the masses. Jonson Chong, PKR director of communications
Najib’s administration, right from day one, has been all about hype and slogans with little substance. Indeed, some of what the Najib administration has done are actually contradictory; e.g. releasing ISA detainees and supposedly reviewing the Act but detaining more people under the Act. Whatever it is, Najib should be judged by what he actually does rather than what he says; and, so far, he has done little except to use the mainstream media in an attempt to improve his public image. Particularly, the regular Malaysian on the street have yet to benefit from his so-called liberalisation efforts, and I doubt very much that what he says will be translated into reality by his administration. Saifuddin Nasution, PKR MP for Machang
Najib has successfully hijacked the ideas of Pakatan to win back the support of the non-Malays. The liberalisation of the 27 sub-sectors of the services industry, the national scholarships based on merit and the lifting of the 30 per cent Bumiputera quotas, I see it as Najib ripping off the ideas originally from Pakatan. But he cannot go on copying our original ideas. If it had been from us, the BN-controlled media would have said we are betraying the Malays. But when it is from Najib, he is hailed as a great leader. Mahfuz Omar, PAS vice-president
He has yet to clear his name on Altantuya’s case and dispel the perception that his wife has been interfering in the administration as admitted by Lee Kuan Yew who said that the duo work as a team. And Najib, in less than 100 days of taking over, has been criticised heavily by Tun Dr Mahathir for his liberalisation policy, for Petronas and his tainted Cabinet members. I foresee a major split in Umno. Nasrudin Hassan, PAS Youth chief
I am not satisfied, there are still many unresolved issues like the petroleum royalty for Kelantan, the independence of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. And also other demands made by the people are yet to be fulfilled such as abolishing the ISA. I did not see positive development in the first 100 days. Salahuddin Ayub, PAS vice-president
Many questions remain unanswered. He did not start well, there seems to be invisible hands. Dr Mahathir continues to criticise his policies and he has yet to show his strength. Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, president of National Human Rights Society or Hakam
I think the lack of focus on issues of civil liberties is disappointing. His inaction is a tacit endorsement of what is widely perceived to be a violation of human rights which is not encouraging. On that score, I would rate his first hundred days very low. It has been tainted by apparent abuses, which as a leader he has left unsettled. Key among them have been the politics in Perak, the lockdown of the assembly, which point to abusing greatly the police powers. Rather than dealing with abuses, he has endorsed them. He must remember that he is the Prime Minister; and that it is his problem. Wong Chin Huat, civil rights activist
This Saturday will mark Najib Razak’s 100 days as prime minister. Be prepared for the swamp of praises for Malaysia’s sixth prime minister and for his 1Malaysia vision. Three months ago, upon his succession, even his pinkish skin complexion was a subject of compliment in a Sin Chew commentary. To win back the non-Malay Malaysian vote at all cost, Najib seems willing to dismantle the ethnocracy his late father built with the New Economic Policy (NEP) and other pro-Malay policies after the 1969 post-election riots. The crude choice before Najib is abandoning Umno’s economic ethno-nationalism in the hope of saving the party, or risk having both Umno and its ethno-nationalism swept away by Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Rakyat come the next elections. So are Najib’s reforms thus far about creating an “meritocratic ethno-theocracy”, where you are allowed to make money freely but must uphold Malay-Muslim (read: Umno-PAS) hegemony? I can’t speak for others, but this is definitely not good enough for me as a Malaysian citizen. Mahathir Mohamad, former prime minister
Well, I’m sorry to say this but more negatives than positives. I saw somebody has made an assessment and almost nothing is positive. I’ve got this printout from the Internet – no freedom of the press, no information, OSA is still there, ISA is still there, everything is wrong. But that’s not my opinion lah. There are a number of things. I said just now about the bridge. The third bridge appears to be suggested without any proper study. If you do that, I’m afraid you will not solve problem of traffic in Johor Baru. At the same time, you might create a problem for ships doing into Pasir Gudang. Things like that. And also, certain appointments of people who have been found to be corrupt by the party are still holding office in the government. And there are a lot of others. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Umno MP for Gua Musang
Whether or not some of our leaders are ready for it, we are maturing as a democracy. We are beginning to evaluate our governments more by the results they deliver over time than by their rhetoric. As our increasingly well-educated and well-travelled citizens apply this standard, they force our politicians to think before they speak, and deliver before they speak again. As thinking Malaysians we should look for the policies, if any, behind the slogans. What policies are still in place and which have we abandoned? What counts as policy and who is consulted when it is made? How is a proposal formulated and specified and approved before it becomes policy, and by whom? What are the roles of party, cabinet, King and Parliament in this process? Must we know what it means before it is instituted or do we have to piece it together with guesswork? Do we even have a policy process? BN was returned to power in the 12th General Elections on a manifesto promising Security, Peace and Prosperity. It is this manifesto against which the present administration undertook to be judged. The present government inherits projects and policies such as Islam Hadhari and Vision 2020. If these are still in place, how do they relate to each other and to 1 Malaysia? How do we evaluate the latest slogan against the fact of constitutional failure in Perak, the stench of corruption in the PKFZ project and reports of declining media freedom? What do we make of cynical political plays on racial unity against assurances that national unity is the priority? We need a Malaysian New Deal based on the same universal concerns on which the NEP was originally formulated, but designed for a new era. Ong Tee Keat, MCA president
He has expounded the need to change the way we think and the way we act and do things. He rightly asked that we go beyond tolerance to acceptance of differences so that we can live and work together as one people to build a nation that can truly compete internationally on merits. Some of the reform-centred changes may not be popular but Najib has taken the bull by the horns. The prerequisite for change is a strong leadership by one who is not only dynamic, innovative and creative but also open-minded. Koh Tsu Koon, Gerakan president
By promoting 1Malaysia based on unity in diversity and implementing economic liberalisation, Najib has infused fresh air and new energy to Malaysian society and the economy. In his first 100 days, he has stayed focused and firm in underlining management performance. In three months, he has led Cabinet ministers in three workshops to work on KPIs, motivating and galvanising all of us to forge ahead.” Samy Vellu, MIC president
Only a visionary leader could have such a desire to succeed and remain in touch with the people. Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, Umno Wanita chief
He is very proactive, effective and disciplined. His years of experience will stand him in good stead. Malaysians must give him a chance and he will steer the country out of the downturn. Mustapha Ong, Umno veteran
On the political front, I believe that prime minister Najib has yet to make his mark in the political game of Malaysia, in order to recapture the BN governance state of Selangor, Penang and Kedah while the state of Perak is still being disputed by the previous PR government. I opined that the sudden take over of the Perak government based on the interpretations of the Federal Constitution and the State Regulated Constitution was legal, but rather hasty without having gone through the state political process in the State Legislative Assembly. There is also an urgent need for Najib to consolidate his power within Barisan Nasional with absolute political will and transparency in time to face the coming 13th general election. We shall wait and see whether BN will remain the political force of this country after more than 52 years of its governance. Najib is seen as a political agent to consolidate and enhance the cooperation within BN as well to check the power of the opposition under the leadership of PAS, DAP and PKR which is at its lowest ebb.
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Indeed he is more evil then The falen. And Not even a Prime can kill this Prime.