Mukhriz’s misstep, he ignored the physics in politics

By MT Webmaster Last updated Feb 10, 2016

Mukhriz thought he had done his maths and knew exactly what to expect. There are 36 state assembly seats in Kedah with 21 under Barisan Nasional and 15 under the opposition. So, if he can get the 15 opposition seats then all he needs is his own seat plus another three. And he can certainly get another three with no problems. Two can be from MCA and just another from Umno is enough. And what is just one Umno seat?

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

“In the 100 years since, Einstein’s theory has been famously successful. Physicists and astronomers have applied general relativity to far-flung reaches of the cosmos, and no experiment or observation has yet revealed a discrepancy. Less commonly understood, however, is how thoroughly the research into this profound, abstruse and seemingly otherworldly theory was shaped by the messy human dramas of the past century.

A century after its creation, Einstein’s beautiful theory continues to inspire lofty thoughts — about black holes, supernovae, the big bang. The history of Einstein’s work, however, reveals how even the most abstract scientific research can be buffeted, derailed and even propelled by the most potent force of all: politics.”

(David Kaiser, 6 November 2015, a professor at M.I.T. where he teaches physics and the history of science.)

Yes, a most unlikely of bedfellows — science and politics. One is the art of the possible and the other the art of the impossible. To apply Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity to physics is not that difficult because physics is an exact science. However, when applied to politics, that is when we separate the men from the boys.

Around 200 years before Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, an English physicist and mathematician, came out with his third law of motion: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Basically, to help you lay-people better understand this, if you just fall off your chair, the force generated by the impact when you hit the floor would be the speed and height of your fall (plus your body weight). So at worst you only hurt your pride.

However, if you fall off the top floor of the KLCC, where Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s office is located, due to the force generated when you hit the ground, you would probably break every bone in your body because of the height and speed of your fall.

So, in short, every time you apply force, you should and must expect that same amount of force to hit you back. And this applies to politics as well. You cannot apply force without that same force hitting you back like in shadowboxing. Sir Isaac Newton said this is not possible.

The point is, whatever ex-Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir received is the equal and opposite reaction to his action, nothing less and nothing more. However, he is acting like he did nothing wrong and that he is an innocent victim and that he is being punished for no rhyme and reason.

Newton’s law does not work that way. Newton’s law is the law of karma. No doubt Newton’s law is easier to grasp. But it becomes a bit more complex when you try to apply Einstein’s theory — and then there is special relativity as well as general relativity to contend with. But let us not get bogged down with the intricacies of this theory. What Einstein was propagating is simply that two objects attract a force on one another.

In other words, the force tugging between two bodies depends on how massive each one is and how far apart the two lie. So, that brings us back to what will happen if you fall from the top floor of the KLCC compared to just falling off your chair.

And politics is no different. The bigger you are and from a far greater height you fall, the greater the damage you suffer — probably even to the point of the death of your political career. This is where the saying ‘the bigger you are the harder you fall’ comes in.

And Taichi, though not a science as such, teaches us that sometimes you do not need to fight force with force — because this just means both of you will suffer injury — but you allow the other person to keep moving and then you use his own force against him to finish him off.

And that was why Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak appeared relaxed and remained cool about the Kedah Menteri Besar issue while Mukhriz scrambled all over the place to try to save his skin, even to the point of collaborating with the opposition. And the minute Mukhriz became an opposition Menteri Besar and no longer an Umno Menteri Besar that was the end of him.

But then Pakatan Harapan has just seven seats, not 15. The other eight are from PAS. And if a vote is taken and Pakatan Harapan votes one way, then PAS will vote the other way or, at worse, just abstain.

And this was what Najib had figured out while Mukhriz was still slumbering in Lalaland. Mukhriz thought that any enemy of Najib would be a friend of his. So Mukhriz used the formula of 15 opposition seats while Najib cut it down to just seven.

So, even if 100% of Pakatan Harapan votes with him, Mukhriz would need another 11 votes and not just three as he had calculated. And Najib knew that Mukhriz did not have 11 votes.

Mukhriz did not do his maths properly. He did not take the current political environment against the backdrop of what would be called realpolitik into his mathematical equation.

In simple maths, one plus one equals two. In political maths, one plus one can sometimes equal three. And that is what realpolitik is all about — which is why it is called the art of the impossible.

Einstein and Newton said it correctly when you consider the present predicament that Mukhriz found himself in. The day they used the Conference of Rulers to make their move on Najib was the day they gave Najib no choice but to get rid of Mukhriz.

It was actually not even the Conference of Rulers proper. It was merely the pre-council meeting. And the pre-council meeting was to discuss the next day’s agenda, which was a long list. But then they issued that press release to give the impression that the ten Rulers were all unanimously opposed to Najib and wanted him to go.

And that more or less sealed Mukhriz’s fate because Najib was forced to demonstrate that the ten Rulers are not against him and do not wish for him to go by making sure that Mukhriz goes instead. And if the ten Rulers are really against Najib and really want him to go then they would have all come out to issue another press statement to say that they support Mukhriz and want him to stay on as the Kedah Menteri Besar.

Raja Petra Kamarudin RPK