He floats like a gentleman, but stings like a bee

Status is conferred by virtue of the position one occupies in society but strength comes from within.

In the eyes of many, the PM is perceived as weak or less capable than his predecessors are but upon closer scrutiny, just when one thinks Najib is about to be snuffed out by his enemies, he emerges – stronger than before.

The trail of events in the last two years echoes the boxing career of Muhammad Ali, especially of the famous Rumble in the Jungle fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Zaire, October 30, 1974.

In Kinshasa, Zaïre, the undefeated world heavyweight champion George Foreman fought against challenger Muhammad Ali who won by knockout, just before the end of the eighth round.

No one expected Muhammad Ali to win, but he did.

Similarly, Najib has been under siege from various angles, each more intense than the previous, but he survived each attack even though the odds were against him.

Each time people expected him to quit or to be kicked out, his Bugis heritage surfaces from beneath the courteous elegance.

Strength wells up and he executes the right hook, an undercut and a jab smack at his the faces of his foes just when they least expected it.

Najib prevailed and won, albeit the next round comes far too quickly. Still, he is always ready.

A good example is the recent sacking of the former DPM, Tan Sri Muhyddin, whom many perceived as a threat as concerned Malaysians felt he might be part of TDM’s game plan to reposition his beloved son higher in UMNO hierarchy.

Hence, Muhyddin, the once-upon-a-time knight in shining armour who flatted Badawi was knocked out of the game sans any successor to pursue the agenda.

Contrary to many spins, our PM had been against the September 16 red shirt rally. Before the rally, rumours flew via social media of a conspiracy to trigger unrest so that emergency rule could be implemented.

Utter rubbish indeed.