Najib, Zahid put on a show in desperate quest for power
Najib Abdul Razak and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi are trying very hard to make a comeback in the belief that the Malaysian voters have fallen madly in love with them again.
Instead of bowing their heads in shame, these two discredited leaders - who between them face about 100 charges of abuse of power and money laundering - dare to strut on the national stage in a show of unabashed bravado and irrational exuberance.
They feel power coursing through their veins and dollar signs flashing in their eyes as the thought of enjoying the good, old glory days grows on them dizzyingly.
Najib, who once tasted power as prime minister, and Zahid, his sidekick who now helms Umno, are exuding confidence these days amidst the uncertain political life of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
They are salivating at the prospect of returning to Putrajaya and picking up the thread of their unsavoury story which was disrupted when they were swept out of office in the political storm of 2018.
Their tainted past does not bother them one bit because they are convinced that the people have forgiven them and that even God is looking down on them with great favour and boundless love.
The big grin on Zahid's face after his recent meeting with Najib and his delegation is his manner of proclaiming to the world that the two soul-mates have rebuilt their shattered party and are now ready to face the 15th general election.
Zahid has accomplished an important mission for his party - he has teamed up with PAS in a joint bid to capture power and impose a type of government shaped by conservative ideology and fuelled by religious fervour.
Now, Zahid's biggest goal is to win the next general election by a landslide, largely with Malay votes. With overwhelmingly Malay support, Umno and PAS can form a government of the Malays and for the Malays. This toxic mix of religion and racism is their way of entrenching the supremacy of Malays and Islam for all time.
But the success of this grand design hinges on the assumption that public opinion is turning around in the direction of Umno. Maybe, Najib felt the pulse of the nation through his Facebook and concluded that the millions of hits he had received indicated there is a rising groundswell of support for him.
Knockout blow
It was only two years ago that voters dumped Umno because they could not bear the stench of corruption and greed oozing from the party. It is unlikely that they have forgotten what they did to Najib and his cohort of "yes ministers". The short passage of time has not healed the deep wounds inflicted on the Malaysian body politic by unscrupulous politicians in Umno.
Zahid has already rushed to the top of the tower and trumpeted that Umno is ready for the next electoral battle. He asked the people: are you ready to be with us too? He created the impression that his born-again party and the people will be joining forces to get rid of the incompetent PN government. He sees this bid for power as the last chance for Umno to pull itself from the brink.
Najib and Zahid must be deceiving themselves if they think they can rewrite history by washing away the sins of Umno. Their "call to arms" to prepare for another battle is just a desperate attempt to save themselves from political oblivion.
Malaysia is too small a country to allow unprincipled political leaders to continue to misgovern and plunder its wealth without regard to the wellbeing of the common people. This abhorrent practice cannot go on forever.
So, the people's answer is loud and clear: yes, we are ready to do battle, too. They are all set to change the government again, they are all fired up to punish those who betrayed the trust given to them in 2018, they are all perked up to save the country again from political crooks.
Above all, they want to deliver, this time, a knockout blow to Umno and PAS.
PHLIP RODRIGUES is a retired journalist. - Mkini
✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH
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