ONE week is a long time in politics indeed. Just last week Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stood tall in the court of public opinion by refusing to recant the truth even when faced with sedition charges.
This week however, the 1BestariNet fiasco will likely wipe out whatever gains that the Bersatu president had made in the 115 SD (statutory declaration) fiasco.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raiding YTL Communications Sdn Bhd’s on Wednesday (Sept 4) to probe the controversial RM4 bil1BestariNet project which he initiated when he was the education minister will likely make it very difficult if not impossible for the Pagoh MP to maintain his reputation as a truth teller which he had earned through the 115 SD issue.
One cannot be seen as a truth teller while also being mired in dodgy dealings – something has to give.
To be seen as a truth teller who is being vindictively victimised for speaking truth to power, Muhyiddin must be able to deflect the accusation of corruption that the 1BestariNet fiasco will cast over him but considering the damning revelations about the 1BestariNet project, it is quite unlikely that he will be able to do that successfully.
The 1BestariNet project was a 15-year contract granted to YTL Comms (Yes 4G) in 2011to provide high-speed internet access to 10,000 schools in the country.
Getting cornered
Other than internet access, it was to also implement something called the Frog Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which is a cloud-based learning platform that will grant teachers the ability to use ready-made lessons and quizzes or create their own virtual learning environment.
Through such endeavour, teachers were also supposed to be able to assign homework, mark homework and track their students’ progress online.
Despite running from 2011 to 2019, the project which awarded terms to YTL Comms in a lopsided fashion can probably be classified as an abject failure for it failed to provide much benefits despite its hefty price tag.
According to Maszlee Malik who took over the education portfolio in 2018, the 1BestariNet project was so hopeless for whatever the 1BestariNet project can provide to school pupils and teachers could also be provided by the Google Classroom platform in a better manner free of charge!
Worse, despite not providing any benefits to schools according to the terms of the contract, YTL Comms was also allowed to put up communications towers in school grounds which serviced its YES network without requiring the company to pay a single cent in rent to the schools for using up their resources.
Not only was YTL Comms allowed to put up its communication towers rent free, the cost of electricity for running these towers was also borne by the schools!
Despite being a white elephant when Maszlee decided not to extend YTL Comms contract in 2019, his tenure as the education minister was prematurely cut short in just two years.
This, according to Maszlee came about as Muhyiddin had relentlessly pushed the then premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to ask for Maszlee’s resignation on account of Muhyddin’s dissatisfaction with the manner that Maszlee had handled the YTL Comms contract.
Bagi yang terlepas atau tak faham mengapa SPRM melakukan siasatan ini, boleh tengok video ni pic.twitter.com/xeBkBoJLNg https://t.co/hta3WnOIE6
— Laga Cawan 🌺 (@LagaCawan) September 4, 2024
Dark cloud
Will Muhyiddin be able to remove the negative implication that the 1BestariNet scandal will cast on his reputation?
I certainly doubt it. For him to be able to do it, the 1BestariNet project has to have at least some redeeming quality which it appears not to have.
If Muhyiddin himself had terminated the programme on account of being a failure, maybe he would have been able to salvage his reputation but the fact that he defended it to the very last – even to the point of getting Maszlee fired (as claimed by Maszlee) – makes Muhyiddin’s position in the 1BestariNet fiasco utterly indefensible.
How big a problem will the 1BestariNet be for Muhyiddin especially given his political career was already in the doldrums until the 115 SD saga gave him a lifeline.
Not only had Muhyiddin dropped the ball and cost PN the right to rule Putrajaya at the conclusion of GE15 (15th General Election), he had repeatedly failed to ride the “green wave” that followed to topple the unity government for the last two years.
Not only had Muhyiddin failed to launch an offensive despite favourable tidings, he had also failed to take an effective defensive position and lost six Bersatu MPs to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
By the time PN lost the Nenggiri by-election in the coalition’s stronghold of Kelantan, Muhyiddin’s position was so abject that his own supporters and allies were likely going to abandon his leadership if he refused to step down.
A few weeks ago, however, by a stroke of luck, an obscure speech that Muhyiddin made in some unknown stage became viral, culminating in his public image as a sore loser to abruptly take a turn and transform him into a courageous truth teller who was being persecuted by the government over the 115 SD issue simply for stating the truth.
However, with the revelation about the 1BestariNet project set to take centre stage in the coming days, it is quite unlikely that Muhyiddin will be able to retain his public image as a courageous truth teller.
Rather, his many problems with the law – including his sedition charges – will likely just be seen as a comeuppance for his previous actions.
The chickens might not be coming home to roost for him in a straightforward fashion but the court of public opinion – unlike the court of law – is not averse to seeing poetic justice as a legitimate form of justice. – Oct 7, 2024
Nehru Sathiamoorthy is a roving tutor who loves politics, philosophy and psychology.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
