THE COMMON narrative used by UMNO president and Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is that Pakatan Harapan has resorted to “selective prosecution” through the judiciary to charge each and everyone in UMNO/BN with a litany of crimes.
The fact is that he has never mentioned what kind of crimes these were, whether they were financial in nature, corruption and/or malfeasance. This is where the proverbial slipper has dropped.
Without explaining why Pakatan would do such a thing – bring all forms of charges against the leaders in BN – Zahid has not just maligned the integrity of its foremost political arch-enemy in bad faith; he has actually revealed what BN would do in return should BN wins.
After all, Zahid did not deny that should UMNO/BN prevail, he would not ask the prime minister, whoever that may be, to drop all the charges that have been brought against him.
Beyond that, Zahid, in his recent speech at MIC general assembly, did not explain why he and his cabal in the “court cluster” in UMNO had to force the hand of then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to dissolve Parliament on Oct 10, 2022.
The fact that the monsoon season started in earnest on Oct 3, 2022, which is expected to last beyond the end of December 2022, seems like a watery grave that he and the likes of UMNO/BN have literally tried to dig for the people of Malaysia.
The blunt and earnest trust is that Zahid does not want to account for every single indiscretion that he has committed. Nor does he want his former Cabinet colleagues to hold themselves accountable.
The pundits have it that Zahid is trying to spring himself from jail, and ideally, the rest of those in the “court cluster” too – potentially even former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who has been sentenced to undergo his sentence in the Kajang Prison.
One for all, all for one.
But beneath the rhetoric of urging everyone in UMNO/BN at the MIC convention to rally for a “dominant and big electoral” win in the impending 15th General Election (GE15) are several insidious factors at play.
The mother of all elections?
What Zahid called “the mother of all elections” is, in actual fact, something that he and his like-minded “court cluster” has intentionally triggered.
This is a mortal danger that he has precipitated, not only against Malaysians who could potentially lose their lives but against all young, weak and meek people alike, who can be swept away by the speedy currents of the flood that is expected to be harsher this year.
In 2021, the monsoon flood brought about more than 55 deaths, internally displaced more than 500,000 and causes losses of more than RM6.5 bil. And those figures are conservative.
As Amanah president Mohammed Sabu put it, “No flood can be considered a festival”, and the rest of Pakatan has naturally agreed with him; not one iota of danger shall be brought about against the people in the states under Pakatan’s rule.
While it is in total contravention against the electoral tradition of Malaysia, which holds the federal and state elections together in order to allow Malaysia to operate seamlessly, this is a stance that Pakatan, under the leadership of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has had to take.
This is also in keeping with the Quranic creed on lives: “To save one is but to save the whole of humanity; to destroy one is but to destroy the whole of humanity.”
The truth of the matter is Zahid and his brigands do not care, with a “we shall save ourselves, let others be damned, even if they were to die” attitude.
It is this attitude that has made UMNO/BN an unreliable motley collection of incorrigible kleptocrats who have developed this sadistic desire to enrich themselves, come hell or high water, and even if that were to lead to enfeebling the very people that have pretentiously sworn to protect.
That they have dragged the good name of all the sultans through this sordid affair to undermine the constitutional monarchy of the people does not mean anything at all.
Pushing Ismail to force an electoral showdown against Pakatan (whose three states, Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan, have decided against holding any state elections concurrently with GE15, for the safety of the people under these three states) has shown the tenacity of UMNO/BN to always make their parties the first among equals.
In any “unity” Government, especially one compelled by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to co-exist, Pakatan should have been consulted by Ismail first before GE15 was called.
This was especially pertinent given the projection of the worst monsoon to hit Malaysia for years – a report made not just by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) but departments across ASEAN.
Deadly embrace
UMNO/BN, through the connivance and mendacity of Zahid, have all entwined themselves in a deadly embrace, with the lives of the innocent Malaysians, some as young as 18 – an age that has, nevertheless, allowed them to vote – treated as child’s play.
The dangers are all the more pronounced given that there are about 1.6 mil young graduates in Malaysia who are under-employed. These are university students who cannot find any meaningful jobs other than the menial ones with which they have had to work in, such as cashiers, deliverers, and indeed, jockey drivers in two- or three-star hotels.
This does not include the estimated 600,000 to 1.2 mil university graduates as no right-thinking university student would deign to admit to their parents, let alone any authorities at hand, that they have not been able to find a simple and decent job. Yet the issues facing them and their families are indeed in need of sweeping resolution.
The lack of ability to receive affordable health care, job security and high-quality primary, secondary and tertiary education are all problems in need of a systematic solution.
Undoubtedly, Zahid, together with his ilk, has thrown caution against all forms of safety protocols by dragging millions of voters into the eye of the storm.
Not since the history of any election in the world has a man and his band of “brothers” been so tenaciously defiant of the natural order of all things under heaven. By doing so, he has instantly tarnished the name of UMNO/BN, in eternity.
Not only do they not care about the plight and welfare of others but they also are not even afraid of destroying the name and reputation of their own parties forever.
Permanent opprobrium is par for the course: Not only does Najib, whom Zahid calls Bossku, must be freed by all means necessary, Zahid and others must also be freed in order to victimise all those who dare to challenge their madcap endeavours.
At least the protagonist in the cult British movie Bend it Like Beckham had a woman footballer trying to bend the ball like David Beckham.
UMNO/BN, on the other hand, not including Perikatan Nasional (PN) and PAS, have joined the collective electoral endeavour – even when they are fighting against each other – to bend the truth beyond any shape and form.
By this measure alone, Zahid has tried to lead Malaysia into the rabbit hole of distorted reality. Indeed, politics can be described as the “art” of the impossible.
But Islam or any religion for that matter will condone what the likes of Zahid and his gang – for that matter, Ismail too – did, which was to dissolve Parliament in the narrow financial interest of the few… the very few. – Nov 3, 2022
Dr Rais Hussin is president and CEO at EMIR Research, an independent think tank focused on strategic policy recommendations based on rigorous research.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main photo credit: The Star
