It’s a story of the pot calling the kettle black

Christopher Fernandez, The Ant Daily

QUICK TAKE: The end of the year is dawning upon us. But ever since the beginning of 2015, ex-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been on a formidable mission to oust Najib Razak, as he is angry and outraged over wrongdoings of the prime minister over the 1MDB fiasco.

But while Mahathir has been on this task for nearly the entire period of this year he has not been successful. He has made a number of very serious moves and attempts to oust Najib but has failed miserably. Why?

There are many and varied reasons for Mahathir’s failed attempts to get rid of Najib. But the most glaring reason is that Mahathir himself, by virtue of being guilty of greater atrocities and wrongdoings during his tenure as prime minister, is not in a position to remove Najib.

This is a sheer case of blatant hypocrisy on the part of Mahathir. Najib is truly guilty of a number of serious faults and wrongdoings. But if history is accurately interpreted, there were even greater travesties of justice by Mahathir during the time he was the prime minister.

This is why the continuing feud between the two of them is like the proverbial saying, “The pot calling the kettle black,”  and this is the actual reason why Mahathir is not able to oust Najib and the reason why Najib is able to cling on to power.

Right is might. By being guilty himself of being corrupt and abusive of his position and power as prime minister, Mahathir has lost the right to ask Najib to step down as, after all, Najib is just following in the footsteps of Mahathir by enforcing corruption as standard operating procedure by the government.

This has, unfortunately, been the way and style of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) governance ever since the Tunku was ousted from the chair of prime minister and this is the reason why it is now culminating into Malaysia fast becoming a failed state as the nation gets from bad to worse.

If Mahathir endorsed pillaging of the Treasury, if he initiated and used corruption, cronyism, nepotism and collusion to hold on to power, it should not come as a surprise to anyone, especially Mahathir, if Najib uses the same ways and means to govern the country and remain in office.

This is why many Malaysians are not impressed or supportive of Mahathir’s bid to oust Najib no matter how tenacious and gritty he might appear as they are able to fully understand that it is only those Malaysians who have not succumbed to corruption who are able to remove Najib.

This is also why many independent pollsters and Malaysians believe the next general elections will see the ouster of not only Najib but the BN government and the opposition coalition pushing the final thrust to gain control of governing Malaysia from Putrajaya.

But it looks as if, at the rate the financial coffers of this country has been pilfered and is being looted at will, the opposition coalition will have to administer the country on the basis of being a bankrupt nation.