Umno Chiefs may not be in red for Najib meet
It remains to be seen whether the meet would be a heated affair or tamely fizzles out because of mice afraid of losing their meals.
(Free Malaysia Today) – It would be interesting to see what Umno divisional chiefs would be wearing when they meet with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on Monday in Putrajaya, ventures blogger Shahbudin Husin. “Najib reportedly wants to explain various issues which have dogged his administration.”
Would they be all in red shirts, in a show of solidarity, as during the first such meeting in March?
Or, would all of them be wearing different shades this time?
The drum beats have begun, he said, the gongs struck, and it remains to be seen whether the meet would be a dialogue where questions are raised and answers given. “May 11 is the 69th anniversary of Umno and unlike previous occasions when the gathering was about solidarity, this time the atmosphere is different.”
Najib, the weakest Prime Minister in the history of Umno, was not only under attack from former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad who wants him to quit, he’s under siege by senior leaders in the party as well, added Shahbudin.
Already, he said, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has sent a stinging message from Milan, Italy, that he wants to see transparency in government administration and doesn’t know what to say when asked about 1MDB when facing the people.
Umno Vice-Presidents Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Shafie Apdal and Hishammuddin Hussein and several other party leaders, no longer exercising maximum restrain, he noted, have spoken up on the weaknesses of the Najib administration and want urgent action to be taken on the matter.
MIC, MCA and Gerakan among others, although having their own problems, have also spoken up on 1MDB to express their solidarity and sympathy with the people in the kampungs who deposited their savings from hard-earned earnings with Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH). “The question that arises was whether Lembaga Tabung Haji’s purchase of land from 1MDB was raised in the Cabinet.”
In Tawau on Sunday, besides lapsing into his native Bugis in reaffirming once again that he will defend his position and would not cave in to anyone and withdraw, the blogger said, Najib recalled that he had supported Mahathir in 1987 during the Umno presidential elections. “Many still remember that Najib appeared at the last moment to support Mahathir over Tengku Razaleigh and the former won by 43 votes.”
Is this the reason why Mahathir won or did he favour the then Umno President because he knew which candidate was going to win? Also, didn’t Mahathir contribute since then by way of opportunities and positions to Najib until he reached the present stage where his bad behaviour is evident?
It’s clear from the position taken in Tawau, said Shahbudin, that Najib has begun demonstrating that he’s willing to take on Mahathir himself and go on the offensive and would not quit as demanded of him. “Najib, in fact, is willing to take on anyone who wants to oust him.”
“Those who know Mahathir will testify that the former Prime Minister is not one to abandon or withdraw from a position he had publicly taken.”
