BARISAN Nasional (BN) leaders do not seem to realise or choose to ignore the serious crime Datuk Seri Najib Razak had committed which landed him behind bars.
At their recent gathering to celebrate BN 50th anniversary in Kuala Lumpur, these diehard defenders of Bossku had pledged to fight for his freedom which is to get him out of prison and let him serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest.
All the flag-bearers of their respective parties – Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO president), Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong (MCA president) and Datuk Seri M. Saravanan (MIC deputy president) – seem determined to rescue the former premier from the pain of further incarceration behind grim prison walls.
Starry-eyed Saravanan sees nothing but goodness in Najib whom he praised to high heaven for his so-called contribution to the Indian community during his heyday as prime minister. Never mine this self-styled “father of the Indian” community was only playing politics.
Wee chose a rather legalistic path: show proof there is an addendum that clearly states that there is a royal order on house arrest. Only then can BN run to his defence.
Presumably, the MCA leader does not think it fit to laud Najib for his contribution, if any, to the Chinese community because this ethnic group is seen as largely self-reliant.
Angelic Bossku
Najib was merely fishing for votes from the non-Malays when he played Santa Claus in the crucial run-up to the 2018 general election. But he was toppled and it is unlikely his political trick had swayed the Chinese and Indian voters.
Then there is Zahid, ever the staunch loyalist who believes there is still “light at the end of the tunnel” for his buddy. Najib is always in his mind during UMNO supreme council meetings which never fail to “make the ‘Bossku’ issue part of UMNO agenda”.
All these leaders seem to harbour a delusion that their former boss is somehow a good man who has been the victim of foreign forces who were responsible for getting him into deep trouble.
Najib’s “rare apology” over his “mishandling of the 1MDB scandal” (for which he is still standing on trial) has reinforced the perception that despite all the dirt thrown at him, he is an angel at heart.
Those who stand by “innocent” Najib now during his darkest moment might entertain the thought that they would be richly rewarded when he makes a political comeback.
In the unlikely event he gets released, the leaders of UMNO, MIC and MCA might make a beeline to his home (if this is permitted) in the belief that glory days might soon be back.
“Sir, remember us. We stood by you, we fought for you, we are not fair-weather friends. You are still our leader.” This could be their message as their vilified boss worms his way back to respectability and acceptance.
After all, if a convicted felon like Donald Trump can be elected as US president, why can’t Najib do a Trump and make a return to the political arena? In fact, Najib’s agony has been described as stunningly similar to the political persecution of Trump.
UMNO appears to be rudderless despite having Zahid at the helm. If Najib is a compulsory topic in the party’s agenda, one can presume the disgraced party is still hankering after its fallen leader.
No place for tainted Bossku
But a fallen leader and a disgraced party surely cannot be an attractive proposition to Malaysians who have bravely brought the curtain down on them both in a surge of people power and anger at the ballot box.
MIC and MCA are political lightweights which can no longer deliver knock-out punches. So, they have to remain in the weak BN family and link their fate to Najib in the hope he would eventually be back in the driver’s seat.
But make no mistake about the sentiments of the people who threw Najib out of office in that unforgettable encounter in 2018. How can they bring him back when he has tarnished his own and the country’s reputation?
Najib went to prison because he committed a serious crime – abusing his power and misappropriating more than RM42 mil from 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s (1MDB) former subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd.
It is pointless for UMNO, MIC and MCA to try to dismiss the seriousness of his case and irrationally embrace Bossku because they will not find a light at the end of the long tunnel.
The gang of three are all in the same boat awaiting a fair wind to blow them to yonder shore of power and wealth they had once enjoyed. But with Najib aboard, the boat will sink. – Dec 20, 2024
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
