The loss of inheritance "coup d'état" in UMNO Malaysia Ruling Party Cracks in Najib-Muhyiddin team

When visions of the future clash Cracks in Najib-Muhyiddin team ahead of polls? Who is capable of giving the right direction to the country?
 Since the tag team of Najib Abdul Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin took over the reins of BN in 2009, the prime minister and deputy prime minister have attempted to project a united front.There is a strong third party involved -Dr Mahathir. However I believe Mahathir is on neither side - he is only on the side of his son, Mukhriz Mahathir and his legacy. Mahathir uses the only strategy Umno are good at: 'divide and rule'. From his various statements when concerning both leaders, his stands were never clear-cut and obvious. It is hard to read and only leave many mere speculations. His balancing act of pitting and/or indirectly benefiting from the rivalry from the two top leaders was meant to be perfected to push up Mukhriz up the ladder to the top leadership of the government. To Mahathir the highest bidder wins. Now do you know why Mahathir was able to rule almost unchallenged for 22 years? Choose your description of him: cunning,crafty,shrewd,slyness or skillful,clever or adroit. He is all that.
Mahathir, being the coward that he is, will not want to side what he sees to be the stronger person. Stronger person taking a leadership position will soon shove him aside. Weaker person on the other hand will come to depend on him. So if he sees Najib to be the weaker person he will side Muhyiddin thinking that ultimately he is the strongest of the three readmore.MAHATHIR:NAJIB DUMB AND DUMBER AS PM CANDID

 Najib as the Prime Minister an "underachiever", fail the acid test by voters should be given the boot and voters should be on guard so as not to be hoodwinked by candidates standing for election.  "politically impotent" and called for a nationwide revolution.To the morally fortified lacking in the buffers against state power, moral condemnation is the only weapon they have against the malign and capricious use of state power.

The more lacerating the rhetoric, the more cathartic the release from a Kafkaesque sense of a sinister force at work behind the scenes.

Malaysians have heard no less than the PM himself say several months ago that defeat for UMNO-BN is unimaginable in the 13th GE. In a democracy, even a flawed one, that is akin to saying that your vote does not count if the election does not result in the incumbent’s extension of tenure.

 

Kit Siang: Will PM enforce Taib's exit promise?

 Taib have already spoken to Muhyiddin Yassin about his continue as CM in Sarawak and Muhyiddin Yassin did agreed to his request. Taib is pouring his resources behind Muhyiddin Yassin in an attempt to dethrone Najis for good. That is why Taib is poking at najib nose n fear nothing ?
Come April, Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's self-imposed deadline to step down will expire, but there is little sign that it will happen, said DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang
 His retirement is a side issue. The far, far more important question is when he is going to be investigated for corruption?
Perkasa chief Mahathir said  Muhyiddin Yassin  is a better and capable leader compared to Najib..time   to leave with his FLOM (Fat lady of malaysia) for the betterment of the country. people had been wondering what underachiever actually means. "In our political language, it implies the country's prime minister is 'politically impotent'," he said The future of Malaysia rests with the voter and it is the responsibility of voters to be entirely honest and true in the process of casting their votes Never in the history of Umno, not even during the last PM Abdullah Badawi's time, that a PM of the country who is also the president of Umno has been challenged quite openly (though elusively and subtlely) by his deputy. This is the begining of the end of the regime when implosion starts to get out of hand. BN have ruled over five decades and it is difficult for Pakatan to win unless the 'giant' breaks from inside.
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The failure to conform to the tenets and obligations of true democracy and the dissension and discord that is now beginning to spew is set to witness a call for leaders with the well being of the nation and its people to come forward and take over the reins of power, from the obviously inept and corrupt, to administer with truth and integriti Much as most Malaysians dislike the leadership style of Najib, i think most will prefer Najib to Moohideen ( i am Malay first) . Big Moo is a throwback to old feudalistic style of leadership. And Malaysia cannot afford to go backwards.
 Najib should hand over the country tod Muhyiddin Yassin his  fighting spirit - "an inspiring person who can fight the corruption, the economic woes,, and other forces inimical to the country's interests".Ask the Malay what he wants GE13 to bring, and some might even say they do not know. They have been tricked into believing they have many benefits, and yet many can’t even get onto the property ladder.
Who is capable of giving the right direction to the country?
Rakyat is now empowered and determined to bring about this transformation and re-birth of a nation that have been plundered and mismanaged beyond recognition.

Whether you like or not, whether you are for or against him, we can't deny that this man d Muhyiddin Yassin  has transformed the political landscape of Malays. He will go down in Malaysian history asthe true  father of Transformation.of the malays
It should be that despite the plentiful resources that Malaysia has, that only right-thinking and fair minded leaders be allowed to determine the fate of all our resources and that only those with the highest good for the people be allowed to lead and serve in this countryDon’t Mess With my Malay Muslim agenda,Najib UMNO’s top chef calls last orders The enemy within Lesser evil Muhyiddin the next disaster from UMNO

Let’s try to understand the 64-year-old Muhyiddin and what makes him tick. People can understand each other better amongst their own peer groups, culture and race. For example, students and youths understand their own peers. They can appreciate, envy and emulate each other, yet for motivation, people will always aim high and look beyond their own group.

That is how people should be motivated and in Malaysia’s endeavor to be a developed and great nation with high-income levels, the leadership must be able to set a high standard and work towards achieving it. It should never look back, nor should it ever lower the benchmark..

It's time we realised our's mineral wealth belongs to its people, not to the politicians

Imagine yourself in a large joint family. The family members have differences, but live together as one. The family owns a huge jewellery shop full of precious ornaments and family treasures. To run the shop, the family appoints a manager and gives him full control.

In fact, the manager doesn't even have to sell the ornaments. He can give the diamonds and pearls away to whomsoever he wants, as long as he can show some selection criteria, designed by the manager himself. He can play favourites and reject anyone he wants.

What do you think will happen? What will this manager, or in fact any manager, do?

He will clearly call his friends and family first and ensure they get enough precious gems. He will also bestow jewels to those who can return favours, cash or other gifts. Soon, the shop will be robbed blind and the family will suffer a huge loss.

Next, imagine the upset family fires the first manager and appoints another one. The rules are kept the same - to give the jewellery away for free at the manager's discretion. Of course, over time, the other manager too fills the coffers of his friends and family.

One day the family learns from its auditor that it has lost a massive fortune. When the family members confront the current manager, he says the previous manager started it. The first manager blames the second for being greedier. The confused family listens to the tennis match-style debate as blame is passed from one manager to the other. Soon, the family members begin to take sides and bicker with each other. The managers continue to loot.Sounds like a ridiculous story? The anak tiri has nothing to lose and the more daring ones may speak out. If he is banished from the home, he can always join his illegitimate brother whom he has seen flourish because of his independence. The anak manja and the doting dad, are props for each other; they make everyone’s lives miserable.The shock is that UMNO could not read the internal map of every constituency as well once it did.UMNO MUST GIVE  VOICE TO THOSE WHO FEEL DISILLUSIONED OR DISENFRANCHISED BY THE CHOICE OF  THEIR CANDIDATES. BY PLACING LOCAL CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION, VOTERS WILL BE ABLE VOTE SUITABLE CHOICES. WE HAVE NO MANIFESTO OR POLITICAL VIEW, BUT OFFER THE ELECTORATE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, AND AN END TO ‘VOTER APATHY’ the factional problem of Umno has not yet been solved. Some district leaders actually ignore Najib’s plan of fielding only those with the highest chance of winning, and insist to compete. The election would not come so soon before the problem is solved.

Therefore, Umno leaders are very likely to invest in the party president the full authority to decide on election candidates at the annual party congress, to eliminate different voices in the party. Also, Umno is expected to motivate party members and implement the party’s policy at  the Bakri Umno division delegates meeting here.

Can an election ever throw up the right candidate? Or to put it more moderately, is an election the mechanism best suited to throw up representatives that will strive to work for their constituents and attempt to better their life? Are there in-built into the electoral process, a set of imperatives that help pre-determine one kind of outcome, irrespective of the quality of the candidates? Increasingly, it would seem that what it takes to win an election is not only very different from what it takes to govern, but might well be at odds with the idea of providing governance. The privileging of representativeness in our democracy, with an emphasis on race and religion, has meant that electable candidates are chosen with a view to who has the biggest electoral draw in terms representing the interests of a community rather than select those that have a view on issues of policy or administration. At one level, democracy does not require its practitioners to come equipped with a track record, and representativeness is perhaps the most vital element in the idea of democracy, but over a period of time, what representativeness has come to mean identity rather than action; the leader resembles his or her constituents, speaks for them and on the occasion that he or she acts on their behalf, it is often through the same narrow lens of community. Under these circumstances, the election abets the process of weeding out those that see their role in more on their voters terms, and focuses its attention narrowly on those with more cronies agendas.Winning elections requires a peculiar kind of knowledge and familiarity community arithmetic, multiplied by financial resources and propped up by on-ground muscle. The reason why the incidence of criminality in politics has been such a visible presence is partly due to the fact there are great similarities between the two skill sets. It is easier for a local grown to become a politician mobilise resources and numbers far more easily but also because the electorate sees more advantages in being represented by someone who can thump the table on their behalf rather than someone who is not seen to have a realistic chance of winning.The middle class distrust of politicians is in part a sense of frustration with the electoral process. Part of the reason why visible outrage does not automatically translate into higher voting percentages is because the idea is laced with a sense of presumptive futility.

CAROLYN HONG THE STRAITS TIMES, SINGAPORE SAYS NAJIB’S POLITICS IS ALL JUNK….WITH BLOODIED HANDS

Posted by suarakeadilanmalaysia on June 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment (Edit)

Is this the man? 
The custodian of the dying ember? 
The man who generations to come will remember as the last man standing, before the new dawn set in? 
OR 
Is this the man who is going to set in an even more harsh regime? 
To ensure he and his team will have a long run on the nation? 
Driven by chauvinism, and detested by the international as well as the domestic society? 
Is this the start of a dynasty in the Malaysian Public Life? 
Does this mean that we Malaysians are so incapable that we need a select few families to tell us how to live our lives? 
Are we so dependent that all aspects of our lives need to be controlled? 
Are we so handicapped that we need these political dynasties to teach how to interact with each other? 
CAN WE THE MALAYSIAN PEOPLE RISE TO THE OCCASSION WHEN THE NATION NEEDS US? 
CAN MALAYSIA DEPEND ON US? 

The Malaysian government has applied its Internal Security Act (ISA) several times in recent weeks in order to protect citizens from the imminent threat of . . . bloggers. That’s right. The sixty-some jihadi militants, foreign agents and ethnic “rabble-rousers” locked away without prospect of trial in the country’s infamous Kamunting Detention Center were joined recently by a handful of minor opposition figures working the Internet fringe of Malaysian politics.

By definition, arbitrary arrest precludes any clear articulation of what legal offenses detainees may have committed. We are thus left to construe allegations of criminal activity based upon accusations made by various government spokespersons or politically affiliated groups.

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A change of government has never been a real possibility in any Malaysian election in the past 50 years, but the Opposition thinks that this is now in sight.

Non-partisan observers will not go so far, but after the 2008 political tsunami which arrived unnoticed, nothing can be ruled out.

What also gives people pause is that Malaysia’s 13th general election will take place in a highly charged and unpredictable political environment. The stakes are very high for Prime Minister Najib Razak and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, and the coalitions they lead.

The political careers of both Datuk Seri Najib and Datuk Seri Anwar will be on the line as anything less than a strong showing for their parties in the election will open up internal rifts that could bring about an early retirement for their leaders.

The general election is also a test of the cohesiveness of both the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and its rival, the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance.

Since the last polls in 2008, both coalitions have at times struggled to keep their component parts together and on the same page on issues of race and religion that could potentially pull them apart.

The BN faced the additional stress of having suffered a drubbing in the 2008 polls, losing in the process its long-held two- thirds majority in Parliament. Soon after the debacle, the Sabah Progressive Party pulled out of the BN.

While the BN is likely to enter the next general election with its present lot of 13 component parties, rumours continue to circulate about the loyalty of some of its smaller parties.

The BN cannot afford to lose any more components, as this will leave it in a precarious position in a tight race where every parliamentary seat counts.

For Mr Najib, there are specific personal challenges as well.’It will be a very important general election, especially for the Prime Minister, who took leadership of the country during a time of crisis in his party,’ said political analyst P. Sivamurugan of University Sains Malaysia.The government has no plans to set up an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC),Anwar is absolutely right When a structure fails you dont blame the draftsmen but the engineer When someone farts you dont abmonish the arsehole but the asshole who farts Therefore charging the lowly constables is just hogwash An escape for … Read more

Mr Najib took over the reins of government and the leadership of the UMNO ruling party in April 2009 from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who stepped down after he was widely blamed by party members for the shocking election results the year before.

Najib’s challenges

SIGNIFICANTLY, Mr Najib did not call snap polls soon after the handover; the upcoming general election therefore presents him with two huge related challenges: To claw back the lost seats and to secure his own mandate with an improved performance.

Put in specific terms, this would mean leading the BN in its mission to regain its two-thirds majority or 148 out of a total 222 seats in Parliament. In 2008, it won only 140 seats. It also lost five states – Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor and Kelantan – but wrested back Perak with the help of three defectors  with perak royality RELATED ARTICLE http://themalay-chronicle.blogspot.com/2012/06/raja-nazrin-hero-for-privileged-and.html

The BN now has 137 parliamentary seats, after a series of defections and by-elections.

Analysts say Mr Najib is not be expected by his party to do significantly better than his predecessor by winning more than 140 seats, if not the two-thirds majority, and at least one state back, preferably the wealthy one of Selangor.

Given the stakes for him and the uphill battle, it is not surprising that Mr Najib has pushed hard to solidify his support base and win over fence-sitters. Sweeteners have included direct cash handouts to the poor and a series of political and economic reforms.

Mr Anwar and his people have not been idle either. The Opposition coalition has unveiled its own alternative economic plans, and Mr Anwar has tirelessly worked the ground through almost nightly rallies to convince voters to give the PR their vote.

Technically, Mr Najib can hold off calling an election until next April, but pundits believe he is likely to call it this year while the rosy glow from a credible economic performance still holds.
Speculation went into overdrive recently when the last few months were packed with crowd-pleasing gestures like cash handouts and political reforms. But how imminent the election will be will also have to take into account the fallout from April’s violent and chaotic BERSIH rally.

There is wide consensus that it will not be easy for the BN to regain its dominant position because a significant proportion of the constituencies are mixed seats that are not heavily dominated by any particular race.

Of the BN’s 140 seats, 56 were won with a thin majority of under 10 per cent, and of the PR’s 83 seats, 54 were won with a similarly tight majority. Of these marginal seats, around two-thirds are multi-ethnic seats.

Credibility problems

WHAT this means is that any coalition that wants to govern has to secure the middle ground votes, said opposition Democratic Action Party strategist Liew Chin Tong, also an MP in Opposition-held Penang.

It has to be able to win support across all communities and across all regions in the country, and it can do so only by holding centrist positions and moderate policies.

“I still hold the view that no coalition that wants to govern can afford to have the support of just one community or one region”‘ he said.

The BN will thus have to spread its support base beyond the Malays, and the PR beyond the urban areas. Neither has truly succeeded, leaving both in a position that makes it hard to win decisively.

The PR has tried various measures – from nightly ceramahs (rallies) in rural areas to organising outreach campaigns among different target groups like the East Malaysian natives and settlers of the state-run plantation FELDA who are traditionally loyal to BN. But its success has been patchy.

These are issues that urban voters, especially the Chinese, may be willing to overlook because of dislike for the BN but it may be a harder sell to the rural non-Chinese voter who tends to be more conservative.

The BN’s problem is of an entirely different nature: Voters remain doubtful about its sincerity in reforms. It does not help that it has embarked on a two-pronged strategy that comes across as inconsistent. On the one hand, it sings an inclusive tune but on the other, UMNO, its leading component, makes no bones about being a stridently race-based party.

Mr Najib stands for being inclusive. Since he launched his 1Malaysia unity slogan, he has made many friendly overtures to the minority communities, and has gone as far as revamping economic policies deemed as favouring the Malays. Yet, he has neglected to curb newspapers and organisations linked to his UMNO party from attacking the Chinese and Christian communities as threats to Malay- Muslim supremacy.

“Najib is banking on his personal leadership to win votes, and it does seem evident that people do like the 1Malaysia concept, whether it’s workable or not,” said Professor Sivamurugan.The government has no plans to set up an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC),Anwar is absolutely right When a structure fails you dont blame the draftsmen but the engineer When someone farts you dont abmonish the arsehole but the asshole who farts Therefore charging the lowly constables is just hogwash An escape for … Read more

At the moment, both the BN and PR appear to have cemented their bonds among members of their traditional support base, and the by-elections from 2008 to last year suggest that this division into rival camps is hardening.

The BN’s strength lies in the rural areas and among civil servants, army and police officers. The Malay vote has swung back to the BN after a 5 per cent swing to the opposition in 2008. Indian support for the BN also seems to have returned.

The PR has held on to the Chinese support and some of the urban vote.But there is an element of uncertainty from the two million new voters added to the electoral rolls since 2008. Most of them will be voters aged below 35. Will their allegiances follow older voters from their respective communities? Or will they be less brand loyal and shift according to circumstances and issues of the day? The answers to that could be critical to how battles are decided, especially in marginal wards.The speaker has clearly mis-applied Standing Order 23(1)(h) to reject Nurul’s motion. For the umpteenth time, the speaker has acted like a stonewall to block motions unfavourable to BN without valid ground, making a complete mockery of our parliamentary democracy. Perhaps, MPs should serious consider what legal means are at their disposal to deal with such a hopelessly partisan speaker who is a complete disgrace, to say the least.It’s God’s might of power and destiny,in which none of His beings could intervene. It’s unfolding in France where the change of power is moving right from the President to the lower houses and it’s unstoppable until this Sunday runoffs. What transpired in the scopene scandal shall surface for all to see, and it’s unstoppable.

Careers and coalitions

Mr Najib’s political future rests heavily on how far the electoral outcome improves the BN’s showing in 2008. After all, he came to power with the promise that he would restore the BN to its dominant position. It is obvious the PM is not looking for opportunity to clear his name otherwise he would have taken the opportunity in Parliament and in the coming case in the French Court.With C4 explosive could easily sneak out of Mindef, no speaker will allow such motion. Anyway, kudos to YB Nurul for taking your parliamentary duties on behalf of the rakyat and tax payers, where no BN-MPs dare to do so .You will be remembered for this duty. Most BN-MPs only “makan gaji dan allowance membuta tuli” since independence day. They could never understand that it is the rakyat and tax-payers that paid their salary and all the perks. Everyone was either paid to keep quiet, and in the case of Altantuya, she was killed to keep quiet. Dare we hope that the Speaker was not “threatened” to keep the issue out of Parliament?

Many have speculated that his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin, who is noticeably more pro-Malay, would launch a power challenge if Mr Najib falters. Muhyudin said that BN is facing a perception problem. To gauge the full extent of the problem, an independent online survey should be carried out with just one question: Is Najib Razak involved in the Altantuya murder and Scorpene kickback scandals? Answer YES or NOIt’s a lost-lost situation for najib and BN. Najib’s refusal to divulge into the issue is not going to make the whole thing go away. If anything, its going to make people more wanting for explanations, and without one to clarify the air, the public can make their own conclusion, which is not going to be pretty. And if a miracle happens and najib finally have the balls to face the music, he’s still not gonna be off the hook, because he has nothing to say that will not implicate him. For the time being denial is his only option and while he still have access to the msm, he’ll use those to put a blanket over the issue, and lie to the country and himself about his dire predicament. The only way out for najib is to make sure the elections is properly rigged to ensure a victory for BN. And that takes us back to square one – a clean and fair election.Rakyak can be the judge now case of this magnitude cannot be discuss in Parliament, why then have parliament session so we have help them to be oppsition after GE 13 they can learn to oppose PR policy so that we have an accountable government which PR has pledge we are able to bring many BN leader to court and charge those that are corrupt especailly AG former IGP present PM and former PM A lady has been killed. Her murderers are awaiting appeal. They were part of the PM’s bodyguards. The PM was the then Defense Minister and he was on these trips to finalise the purchase of the Scorpene subs. Serious question of corruption have been raised. He is duty bound to clear his name. Silence is not going to protect him. On the contrary this is causing more concern and many now feel that he is implicitly involved. As the PM he has to make his position clear. The waters are muddy and he has the duty as PM to clear his name. Even if he has done this for UMNO the ends cannot justify the means used and the outcomes which are horrific.His close friend is away. Why blast a body unless there was more to hide. How can we trust such a man as PM? A coward who does not even want to face Parliament and be straight with his rakyat.

So, what is at stake in the next general election could be the entire political landscape in Malaysia.

For over 50 years, the BN had been firmly in control, despite the best efforts of assorted opposition parties. A dent was made in the 2008 elections. What happens in the coming one could have serious repercussions beyond the seats totted up on election day.

NAJIB CHARGE MAHATHIR FOR SAYING “HOW DARE YOU RAID MY SENIOR’S OFFICER’S OFFICE?”

Posted by suarakeadilanmalaysia on January 10, 2012 · Leave a Comment (Edit)

Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called rival Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s acquittal over a sodomy charge today an exoneration for the political conspiracy claims hurled at the Barisan Nasional government.

“Today’s verdict shows once again that, despite what many have claimed, the Malaysian judiciary is an independent institution where neither politics nor politicians have any influence over the dispensation of justice,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by Bernama Online today.

The prime minister added the ruling in favour of the opposition leader was testimony of his administration’s adherence to the tenet of separation of powers

“As head of the executive branch, I respect the decisions of the other branch of government, the judiciary,” Najib was further quoted in the report.

Trial judge Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah ruled today that the prosecution had not done enough to prove Anwar had committed sodomy against former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Anwar, 64, was similarly indicted of sodomy over a decade ago and found guilty. He spent six years in jail before being exonerated.

The former deputy prime minister has maintained that his prosecution for sodomy was politically-motivated and a plot to kill his political career.

Today’s verdict defied the expectations of political observers and even Anwar, who had alleged that a guilty verdict was predetermined.

All talk is now centred on the upcoming elections. Khairy Jamaluddin, head of the Youth Wing of the ruling Malay party UMNO, described the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy trial as a hurdle the government had to get through.

“We categorically deny charges that the case was politically motivated,” he said.

“It was a private matter. We are glad to see the back of the court case. We did not want this to happen. It was a complaint from a private individual. Today we are very much focused on the general election.”

A verdict that can be spun for the benefit of both the government and the opposition. The next general election is anyone’s for the taking.

An unwritten rule? Who makes the rule? The Prime Minister?

What happens to the doctrine of civil service neutrality? The head of the national investigative agency is a civl servant and once appointed to office is bound to uphold the law. True. He may be answerable to the PM (who is a politican and head of the executive arm of the government); but he is accountable under the law and is under duty to investigate a public official for alleged corruption based on reports submitted to him and does not need permission to do so.

The AG is under duty under the constitution to prosecute once enough prima facie evidence is available to ensure a successful prosecution. He has no choice in the matter under the law. His discretion does not go so far as to excuse him from prosecuting such a case

The reason why Mahathir was angry at Shafee was because at the time of the raid, EPU was considering Mokhzani’s proposal for the hospital privatization project or if I am not mistaken, approval have been given to it. Abul Hassan wld have told mahathir, ‘look, they are not only investigating me but also your son’s proposals for the hospital privatisation…and anwar must have instigated them to raid EPU.” That got Mahathiir mad.

Shafee’s only failure then was not arresting or investigating Mahathir for interfering with the ACA investigation. But in malaysia it takes a lot of guts to do that considering the fact that Shafee was only a PTD officer being seconded as ACA head.

For Mahathir to write that Shafee was a “hostile witness“, that he “became angry, accusing me of interfering with his duties” and that “Shafee had his day in court and seemed to be happy to vilify me” is most unfair.

There is nothing hostile about a hostile witness.

When you call a witness to give evidence for your case and during the examination-in-chief, your own witness testimony falls short or proves the other party’s case rather than your own, then you will need the consent of the judge to treat your witness as a hostile witness so you could cross-examine your own witness.

Otherwise cross-examination is a tool for the other party. Cross-examination in the hands of an experienced advocate is a powerful tool.

Two horses for Mukhriz to ride; who will Mahathir choose?

One big disadvantage of teaming up with Muhyiddin rather than to strike a deal with Najib is because Muhyiddin too lacks grass roots support from his own Johor state as well as the rest of the country. So, while keeping all options open, Muhyiddin will be the last resort for Mahathir. Chances are higher he use Najib to catapult Mukhriz into power.

Mahathir can be expected to make full use of the mandate given by UMNO delegates to Najib to be the final decision-maker of who qualifies to be on the list winnable candidates contesting seats in the 13th general election. Of course, Mahathir’s people will make the list. Mahathir will inform all his men and women who make it to the list to make them happy, while Najib will also inform his supporters that it was necessary to give up certain seats to the Mahathir faction to avoid splitting UMNO and also assure them that they will be duly rewarded for the sacrifice.

On his part, Mahathir will throw his support behind Najib to make sure that he will still be the UMNO president and the prime minister after the GE-13 so as not to jeopardize the chances of UMNO being defeated due to infighting and factionalism. However, in the next UMNO general assembly where UMNO elections will also be held, party insiders say the presidency is very likely to be a three-cornered-fight between Najib, Muhyiddin and Mukhriz.

Muhyiddin will ‘voluntarily’ withdraw from the contest and the final duel will be between Najib and Mukhriz – so this particular theory goes. Muhyiddin is not worried because whoever wins, he will be promised the deputy prime minster’s post once again. He has no hope of becoming the prime minister on his own standing anyway, so he would be happy with that. An interesting contrast is that of Anwar Ibrahim in the 90s. Then Anwar was mounting a challenge against Mahathir and UMNO members were gunning for an Anwar victory. This was possible because Anwar had huge grass roots support throughout the country and Malays can be expected to make their way to him now, with the Sodomy II trial over and he has been acquitted.

Can Mukhriz take on Najib? In this foray Taib Mahmud will also lend his support to Mukhriz in forming the BN government since Mahathir has been very supportive of Taib all along, while Najib foolishly tried to control Taib and Sarawak but failed from the start. The support from Taib will boost the confidence level of the Mahathir camp, whilst making Najib’s people doubt his strength in leading BN.

But is Mukhriz ready?

Yes according to Mahathir and why not? Mukhriz caught the public’s eye when he continuously spoke up for his father during the 2003 to 2008 rift with Badawi and Khairy. In the  2008 GE-12, Mukhriz won the Jerlun Parliament Seat. Mukhriz has also been a member of the Cabinet for nearly 3 years now. Lastly, Mahathir also insists that Mukhriz is more intelligent than him! But others beg to disagree, pointing out that Mukhriz’s only claim to intelligent life-form in his brain was his receding hairline.

Will Mahathir accomplish his mission?

Perhaps, the only strong trait that Mukhriz possesses is his shrewdness. Certainly, his rude comments and undiplomatic ways of dealing with people has not won him new fans. He has also insufficient experience, and should ideally head various Cabinet positions before becoming prime minister. No, Mukhriz is far from ready, if not incapable as well, of becoming PM on his own steam.

If Mukhriz is really more intelligent than his father, he should have been a more prominent politician by now. Mahathir is a shrewd politician but Mukhriz is not a politician – he is a shrewd person, which is bad for the country. Mahathir is not on any mission; he is just dreaming a doting father’s dream.

So it was to save his own image, legacy and to secure a very important Cabinet post for Mukhriz, that Mahathir passed the baton to unthinking Badawi. Although Mahathir shed crocodile tears when he announced his quit decision at the UMNO assembly in 2003, he was actually ruthless, deliberate and sinister in his intent, which was to have Badawi blamed for the economic failures he himself started in 1998 as well as UMNO’s loss of Malay support at the ballot boxes.

Still to ensure that his cronies stayed rich, he convinced Badawi to continue with whatever mega projects he had planned, without realizing that the de facto prime minister would be Khairy Jamaluddin – Badawi’s son-in-law and the current Youth chief – who too thought that since he had graduated from Oxford, he should be smart enough to run the country.

Although Mahathir had some misgivings about Khairy, he was not able to correctly read the mind of the tenacious young man. Otherwise, he would never have let go the reins to Badawi. Khairy lost no time dismantling Mahathir’s dream projects including the crooked bridge to Singapore, making him so angry that he had no choice but to plot and scheme Badawi’s removal. In the end, Mahathir succeeded in ousting Badawi and installing an already heavily corruption-tainted Najib Razak, whom Mahathir thought would be obedient! But it was not to be – Najib had Rosmah by his side Indeed, First Lady Rosmah Mansor has been a thorn in Mahathir’s flesh!

COMMENT In Chapter 53, ‘Anwar’s Challenge’, on page 695 of the book, ‘A Doctor in the House, The Memoirs of Tun DrMahathir‘, Mahathir wrote, “Though some witnesses were hostile towards me, nobody came forward to say that I had forced him to tell lies to support me.

“One of these hostile witnesses was the former director-generalof the Anti-Corruption Agency, Datuk Shafee Yahaya (right), who had earlier accused me of interfering with an ACA investigation into then DG of the EPU, Tan Sri Ali Abul Hassan.

“In 1998, I had received a complaint that the ACA had been offensive during his investigation and so, knowing how government officers could sometimes be overzealous in their duties, I asked Shafee to explain the situation. Our meeting did not go well and Shafee became angry, accusing me of interfering with his duties.

“Actually the affair with the ACA had nothing to do with Anwar’s case. But Shafee had his day in court and seemed to be happy to vilify me.”

After reading the above, I had two choices to make – just shrug it off and keep quiet or present our side of the story. Guided by what Allah SWT had said in Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 42, “And mix not truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth while you know the truth,” I have decided to respond to Mahathir’s allegations for the sake of my children, grandchildren and future generations to come.

The incident referred to by Mahathir happened in June 1998, three months before the expiry of Shafee’s contract as director-general of the Anti-Corruption Agency. An aggrieved party had made a complaint against the then director-general, Economic Planning Unit in mid-May 1998 over a privatisation project.

Mahathir ‘kept quiet’

After taking the complainant’s statement and studying the case, the ACA needed to take the relevant files pertaining to this project from the EPU office. As it involved a very senior officer, following past practices, Shafee informed the prime minister of the case at the end of May 1998, but the latter “kept quiet”.

Although it seemed safe enough for Shafee to interpret Mahathir’s silence to mean “no objection”, Shafee decided to inform Anwar Ibrahim, then deputy prime minister and finance minister, of the ACA’s intention to raid the EPU office.

Anwar asked him whether he had cleared it with the prime minister. Shafee mentioned that he had and that the prime minister had kept quiet. Anwar left it for Shafee to decide. Shafee also informed the then chief secretary to the government (Abdul Halim Ali).

The ACA subsequently raided the EPU office on June 16, 1998 to find the files concerning the privatisation project. In the course of searching for evidence, one of the ACA officers found a large sum of money in a drawer belonging to the then DG.

In his letter to me dated Oct 8, 2010, Mat Zain Ibrahim, former Kuala LumpurCriminal Investigation Department chief, disclosed that the amount found was RM100,000. The EPU DG gave an explanation but the ACA wanted more evidence and verification.

The public was not aware of the raid on EPU at that time, as it was not reported in the newspapers. There had been rumours and whispers, but no confirmation that there had been an investigation of the former EPU DG. The public only knew what really happened in June 2000 after the court case.

Shafee had been subpoenaed to appear in court as a witness in Anwar’s sodomy trial on June12, 2000. Shafee had to take an oath to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. He was also guided by Surah Al Baqarah 2:283, in which Allah says, “…And conceal not the evidence for he, who hides it, surely his heart is sinful. And Allah is All-Knower of what you do.”

What took place between Shafee and Mahathir in June 1998 was revealed in court during Anwar’s sodomy trial, and the court transcripts dated June 12, 2000 is in Appendix 1 of my book on Shafee’s biography.

Based on Shafee’s sworn testimony in court, Shafee said that after the raid of the EPU’s office, Mahathir called Shafee to his office. Shafee said he was told off by the premier.

“How dare you raid my senior’s officer’s office?”

Shafee replied that “it was based on an official complaint by an aggrieved party”.

“I did what was officially required under the law.”

‘Called to see Mahathir twice’

Mahathir also accused Shafee of trying “to fix the EPU DG” and questioned whether Anwar Ibrahim had asked him to raid the EPU office. In the court testimony, Shafee replied, “That is totally wrong because it is wrong in law to fix anybody. As a Muslim, it is a big sin to fix anybody.”

Shafee also said that Anwar did not ask him to raid the office. Shafee was called to see Mahathir twice after the first “scolding” over the EPU DG’s case. This was not revealed in court because justice Arifin Jaka disallowed further testimony on the matter.

For Mahathir to write that Shafee was a “hostile witness“, that he “became angry, accusing me of interfering with his duties” and that “Shafee had his day in court and seemed to be happy to vilify me” is most unfair.

One has to bear in mind that Shafee was subpoenaed to appear in court and he took an oath in court to tell the truth before answering the questions. If you were caught lying, you could be charged with perjury. We believe that if you start with one lie, you may end up telling more lies to cover that lie you started with.

Mahathir had every opportunity to refute Shafee’s statement in court as it was reported in the media the next day. Mahathir had been subpoenaed to attend the court hearing but he fought tooth and nail to resist appearing in court.

In the July 6, 2000 issue of the Far Eastern Economic Review, it was written that “when asked about Shafee’s claims, Mahathir told reporters, in apparent reference to Anwar: “I don’t know. What I do know is that there was one person who tried to prevent a case being tried in court, but as far as I tried to interfere… I don’t know.”

After denying it in June 2000, several years later, in 2008, he could remember the incident based on his version. Mahathir had also forgotten that he had vilified Shafee openly in his letter that was published in The Sun dated April 8, 2008.

The next question to ask is why should Shafee lie? What could he gain by lying? I am sure he would gain a lot if he had chosen to just keep quiet. In fact, by being firm and maintaining the facts of the case as required under the law, he had incurred the wrath of the prime minister.

What has he personally to gain?

Under the circumstances, a person needs a great deal of courage to defend his or her conviction. It would have been easier to succumb, to not rock the boat, or displease the prime minister. As ACA DG, Shafee was legally bound to investigate any infringement of the laws on corruption, irrespective of the position of the person.

When the prime minister, who was responsible for his appointment as ACA DG by the Yang di Pertuan Agong, summoned Shafee to his office and be confronted with words, “How dare you investigate my senior officer!”, would that not indicate a scolding by a superior of a subordinate?

And what did the words imply? Based on Shafee’s testimony in court, the investigation on the EPU DG arose out of a formal complaint/report lodged by an aggrieved party, and not because Shafee wanted to fix the EPU DG. This can easily be verified from official records and the complainant identified.

One should also ask the question why would a civil servant whose contract was about to expire, would want to do anything that could offend the prime minister, unless he believed in the lawfulness of his actions and that the prime minister too would let the law take its course.

What had Shafee personally to gain from his actions? He was merely doing his job, upholding the law based on truth.

In Surah An-Nisa 4:135, Allah SWT says, “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you avoid justice; and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do.”

Mahathir had a dossier on Khairy built from the young man’s personal background, skills, experience, activities, his network of friends and business connections, the political leaning and views, his connection with Singapore journalists, business associates and especially Khairy’s international connections especially in the USA via his Singapore contacts. Khairy had attended attended college in Singapore and later was involved in the Avenue Capital-ECM Libra money-making scheme with Kalimullah Hassan who was the media chief of Badawi-linked ECM Libra.

Unfortunately, Mahathir failed to succeed in forcing the police to arrest Khairy on charges of being some ‘foreign agent’. Why? It was because Mahathir – under the impression he was omnipotent-  had made the tactical error of having resigned first before pressing the government machinery to do his bidding!

Yes, Mahathir has regretted resigning too early, leaving several critical things undone, objectives not accomplished and the plan to put his son as PM unfinished, while dreaming at the same time of the post of Secretary-General for the United Nations.