A warning for Najib, a weapon to his foes and a disaster for Malaysia
Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle
News that French police had specifically zoomed in on documents related to Malaysia’s purchase of two Scorpene submarines when they raided the offices of arms-makers DCNS and Thales is unlikely to escape the notice of Prime Minister Najib Razak, his minders or his foes.
“It is a real warning not just for Najib but also his party Umno and Malaysians as a whole,” PKR vice president Sivarasa Rasiah told Malaysia Chronicle.
“So far his administration has been trying to sweep the whole issue under the carpet and blaming the opposition for playing it up. But it is now clear that other people – the French authorities – also think there are grounds for a thorough and full probe.”
The real danger – not from France but within Umno
Najib was the defense minister who ordered the Scorpenes in 2002. He became prime minister in April 2009 and has moved to consolidate his grip on power. He has put his cousin Hishammuddin Hussein in charge of the powerful Home Ministry, which controls the police force, whilst national graft buster Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission answers directly to him.
Nevertheless, his hold on Umno – the dominant party in the ruling BN coalition – is still shaky and he faces increasing internal challenges from powerful factional leaders and warlords coveting his chair. So far, his immediate predecessor Abdullah Badawi has refrained from putting him down publicly but party pundits say that doesn’t mean Abdullah and his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin are not monitoring closely.
However, Mahathir Mohamad, who ruled Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and has himself been widely accused of gross corruption and abuse of power, has been very vocal. Although, he has not publicly attacked Najib yet, he has made it clear that he would not hesitate to topple an ‘out-of-line’ Najib.
“The danger doesn’t come from the French but from rivals in Umno itself. It hinges on the question of when and how would Mahathir consider Najib as out-of-line. Does it carry the same meaning for him as for the rest of Malaysia or does it just mean not following his orders?” an Umno watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.
“Given Dr M’s past record, he won’t be ousting Najib so that he can end corruption in Umno or Malaysia. Dr M is just waiting for the opportunity to gain further political and financial advantage, and yes, don’t be surprised, he may even try to make a comeback to the top post. But he will still cover up for Najib when it is convenient and politically expedient to do so.”
