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The USD25 million Caper that failed |
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Wednesday, 26 March 2008 14:43 |
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Folks,
Many people ask why UMNO was so blind that it did not see that they had lost contact with the electorate? The finger was not on the pulse, neither was the ear close to the ground.
Mahthir's thin margin and waning popularity was not lost upon him. They knew that the new voters were against him. So before they could register for voting, he resigned and allowed Badawi to take over as PM. Badawi's soft, non-confrontational approach enthralled the Malaysians, sweeping him into a landslide victory. It was not so much a vote for him as a reaction to see the end of the oppressive approach of Mahathir. The question of how well Badawi exploited this overwhelming mandate is now a moot point. He did not realize his romance with the crowd was quickly fading away with all the scandals that came his way. The internet was exposing all that the mainstream newspapers covered.
UMNO was very confident that the Malays would give them the mandate they sought. So confident were they that they even openly stated that they did not need the Chinese and Indians votes to win the election. What many do not know is that UMNO had a USD25 million weapon in their hands to win the hearts of the Malays. They had negotiated with the Russians to put a Malay astronaut in space for a sum of USD25 million and another USD800 million to buy 18 Russian fighter jets. I am not asking who makes how much.
We all knew that having non-Malays in the selection team was just a charade. In the end, they would select a Malay. And so it was that Dr. Sheikh Muzzaphar Shukor went up to space, with the initial noble intention of serving teh tarik to all the other astronauts. On his return, he was given a hero's welcome by Najib. What the public did not know that this was a political PR exercise to parade him to all the Malay kumpongs as the stereotype of the New Malay in the space age. So poor Shukor was overworked like a circus curiosity, going from kampung to kampung, without much rest. UMNO was so sure that this would bring the Malay voters back to the fold. They could not think of a more brilliant idea to galvanise the Malays in one fell swoop. This was second only to making teh tarik in space. It was UMNO's great effort to get the world to recognise Malays as a new scientific force in the world.
What happened is history but I am letting you know: a USD25 million gamble that failed catastrophically.
CH
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One is cover the commission. People will forget the commission and say our man is up there. The normal trick. Pocket the major sum and give some to the party. You will get supporters who will say: Good, you see he cares for the party. The game goes on. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. 
