COMPARING the two Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) and now incarcerated Datuk Seri Najib Razak is like telling the difference between plain brown rice and Quinoa.
One thing which sets the PMX apart from Najib is his ability to speak the people’s lingo.
Not that PMX is less eloquent than Najib but his speeches during the first 100 days were all about the people’s well-being whereas Najib who has the gift of the gab of an aristocrat is seen more as a sweet talker.
Najib’s speeches – especially during a public debate between the two – on May 12 last year portrayed his loss of touch with the cruel reality faced by ordinary people during the pandemic.
His response to his earlier slogan, ‘cash is king’ rang hollow when he claimed that “the rakyat is king” at a time when one case after another of the scandals he was involved in was unfolding.
Many of us journalists who were initially impressed with his persona became somewhat sceptical in the later years. In his case, it is very much like the 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie “I Know What You (and your wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor) Did Last Summer”.
The most damning revelation of the entire 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Bhd) saga was a media conference by the US Department of Justice which received international coverage on the extent of 1MDB scandal.
One senior journalist who prefers to remain anonymous said Najib could have become a good PM had he kept to his straight path.
“Some of us who know the couple well think that Rosmah is the cause of Najib’s downfall,” he continued. “While she can be very kind at times, she can also be manipulative towards Najib.”
Most Malaysians can still recall the expose of an audio recording on July 27, 2016 at 12.46am by the then Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Lateefa Koya where Rosmah – the self-proclaimed FLOM (First Lady of Malaysia) – was infamously heard speaking to Najib in a commanding tone, “Can I advise you something?”
On the other hand, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail – known for her chastity and motherly nature – fits well with the saying, there is always a woman behind every successful man. When Anwar was in jail, it was Wan Azizah who took on the role as PKR president albeit reluctantly.
Anwar and his family have gone through many years of suffering since the Reformasi movement began in 1998 – yet upon his release – Anwar holds no grudges against those who were involved in putting him behind bars.
In this respect, Anwar is seen as the ‘Asian Mandela’ who followed the footstep of the former South African president Nelson Mandela.
Unlike Anwar who immediately ordered a halt of the installation of new billboards displaying his face and Malaysia Madani, Najib’s portrait was scattered all over the country on buntings, banners and giant billboards when his 1Malaysia slogan was first launched.
Instead of ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours,’ Anwar was willing to see Kedah and Perlis becoming on par with Penang and Perak. This is despite Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s oft-political jabs on PMX’s concept of Malaysia Madani (Civil Malaysia).
This may be seen as a pre-state election speech but PMX’s offensive charm may soften the grounds as one DAP supporter put it succinctly, “We only grow to become hardcore due to the neglect by previous BN (Barisan Nasional) government.” – April 30, 2023
