THE light at the end of UMNO tunnel is getting bigger and brighter following a court ruling that gave Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak “very happy news”.
And the news that gladden the cockles of his heart was the decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court on June 20 to grant him a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) over the SRC International money laundering case.
Elated Najib diehard fans, supporters and devotees must be beating the kompang feverishly now to celebrate what they see as his inevitable return to public life.
To them, the DNAA ruling is the first salvo fired to get the ball rolling for the Najib comeback.
If by some miracle, he walks out of prison a freeman (assuming that all the criminal cases against him are thrown out), the campaign to reinvent him will gather steam.
A likely scenario will see all UMNO divisions closing ranks and unanimously passing resolutions to make their Bossku their president again.
And that means current UMNO chief Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will have to bow out to make way for his former master and most probably play second fiddle again in the Umno hierarchy.
Has Bossku repented?
But who wants to see the return of Najib to the political frontline? If you check the public pulse, the reading will be very high, indicating that the country doesn’t want to experience yet again the tainted politics of a disgraced leader.
Nevertheless, the UMNO propaganda machine will go into high gear to push their born-again standard-bearer to lead the faltering party to revive its glorious past.
The promotion of Najib will be a highly polished act that leverages all the tricks of salesmanship to “sell” this “new product” around the country.
How will they portray the new man? In this makeover, they will want to erase the stigma of a criminal record by fallaciously arguing the DNAA ruling is proof Najib is innocent. Never mind he is not acquitted. Full acquittal will come later – or so they would like to think.
Oh, goes the old storyline, Najib is sincerely sorry for the sordid events that happened under his watch but which are all the doings of other perpetrators.
Every day behind bars he expresses his ardent wish to serve his country again and fight corruption tooth and nail.
Look, he has been a “model prisoner” and didn’t cause any trouble which goes to show he still loves his country to bits. Never mind he was not a model leader in his heyday.
A second chance for Bossku?
Give him another chance and you will see how he will expertly steer the ship of state to better days.
Then to add more urgency, the UMNO troops will resort to the time-honoured practice of organising rallies to press home the message that only Najib can save the floundering Umno ship.
As the 16th General Election (GE16) approaches, strange things will happen: discarded politicians trying their luck again, suspended party members suddenly showing up on the radar screen, and even an ancient leader dreaming of saving the country again.
But among all the political detritus, Najib stands out as the one who might be able to win over the vast majority of UMNO members to support his bid for another shot at the seat of power.
All UMNO “salesmen” will be knocking on the doors of voters to peddle minyak Najib which they trumpet, is guaranteed to revive the country. Soon, if their campaign succeeds, Bossku will be back on your home TV screens.
But the snag is – at the mere mention of Najib – all the doors will slam shut on the faces of UMNO marketers. The minyak Najib stinks to high heaven. – June 24, 2025
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image credit: Najib Razak/Facebook
