Najib, the naked emperor

Before his downfall, the people Najib surrounded himself with were clapping and cheering him on, happily exclaiming that he was clad in ‘golden robes’, observes Tota.

When a fish rots, it starts with the head and goes downwards. So it was with Umno.

The sycophants Najib surrounded himself with probably enjoyed the stench for they were clapping and cheering him on, happily exclaiming that he was clad in ‘golden robes’!

Umno leaders are masters of denial. Najib considered himself the custodian of truth and sanity. They believed that if a lie was repeated over and over again, sooner or later people would believe it to be true. Here are the major lies and half-truths that Umno told:

• Non-Malays were hindering the economic progress of Malays. Actually, the Umnoputras and their cronies hijacked the New Economic Policy to enrich themselves and amass great wealth.
• Mara, Felda, Tabung Haji and other similar bodies were established to help the Malays. But then some of these institutions ended in failure because corrupt cronies put in charge siphoned off some of the allocations.
• The call to establish a meritocracy was a clever plan by the non-Malays to take over the country. But then, Umno created mediocrity, which has ruined the country.
• The DAP is anti-Malay, anti-Islam and anti-monarchy. But since the DAP took over Penang in 2008, the Malays have done well and all the “anti” proved to be nonsense.
• Perhaps, the most damaging lie was that the Malays could not compete with the non-Malays. What the Malays really needed was education and opportunities – not perpetual handouts. Mahathir is on record as saying that if the Malays did not change their mindset they would move from their crutches to wheelchairs! Najib said he did not believe in liberalism and diversity. Umno cleverly camouflaged the Umnoputra agenda as the Malay agenda, and ketuanan Melayu was created to fool the rakyat. Some Malays developed an inferiority complex. A well-educated Malay friend told me that asking them to give up the New Economic Policy was like asking a tiger to become a vegetarian.
• In the last couple of years, the biggest lies told by Najib and his sycophants were about 1MDB. Apparently, the RM2.6bn deposited in Najib’s bank account was a gift from a Saudi prince – a claim rubbished by the US Department of Justice. Was Zahid Hamidi telling the truth when said he saw the documents with regard to the gift? Every conceivable lie has been told with regard to the Birkin handbags, expensive watches, jewellery and the rest of the treasure trove.

Najib’s chief sycophants were Zahid, Hishammuddin Hussein, Khairy Jamaluddin, his cabinet ministers and other Umno supreme council members. Khairy is a classic case, devoid of foresight but plenty of hindsight. Just imagine his lament that he did not tell Najib he was on the wrong track and going in the wrong direction.

Many of these sycophants lacked self-respect and conscience. These tainted characters had no concept of collective responsibility for their loss in the general election and the disintegration of Barisan Nasional. Out of 13 BN partners in the coalition before the election, BN now is left with three – Umno, the MCA and the MIC.

Najib has resigned as president of Umno. All his former cabinet colleagues and Umno supreme council members should follow suit. But the sycophants instead made their boss the sacrificial lamb. They were like vultures circling round the dead political body of Najib, fighting for positions in the recent Umno elections. And these guys are supposed to revive the dying Umno? – aliran.com

Tota, short for Theatre Of The Absurd, is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to our Thinking Allowed section.

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

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