Najib did a Sun Tzu on Mahathir

By MT Webmaster Last updated Feb 12, 2016

Killing two birds with one stone is classic. Killing five birds with one stone is epic. And Najib did the most epic thing, which even Lim Kit Siang had to admit that the score is now ten-zero in favour of Najib. And that is why I am rooting for Najib. It is because I love winners and despise losers who keep whining all the time like a kid who lost his/her lollipop.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

“Mahathir’s influence on the wane in new age for Malaysian politics,” said Shahnon Teoh in The Straits Times (Singapore). Shahnon said:

The ouster of Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir as Kedah chief minister is the latest blow to the floundering efforts, spearheaded by his father Mahathir Mohamad, to topple Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The Kedah Umno rebellion against the son of Malaysia’s longest-serving leader is widely seen as a proxy battle between the Premier and his predecessor.

“The Mahathir fear factor no longer exists in Umno, even in his home state,” The Malaysian Insider wrote in an editorial of the man who himself withstood several challenges during his 22 years in power until 2003.

“He has become totally irrelevant against the exhibited power of incumbency,” S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) fellow Oh Ei Sun told The Straits Times.

The former premier may still have a few tricks up his sleeve, but Mr Najib has shown his willingness to use the full extent of his executive power, no matter how controversial, to fend off and eliminate any threats. (READ MORE HERE)

“Kit Siang says Najib getting stronger with each scandal,” was Free Malaysia Today’s headlines in which it reported:

It’s indeed a great paradox in Malaysian politics that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak seems to be getting stronger and stronger despite “scandal after scandal”, lamented suspended Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang in a statement.

“The embattled Prime Minister has won another victory with the toppling of Mukhriz Mahathir as Kedah Menteri Besar and his replacement by Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah.”

Najib’s victory in forcing the resignation of Mukhriz as Kedah Menteri Besar probably amounts to “10 versus 0” score for him against his foes in the past six months, conceded Lim. (READ MORE HERE)

So there you have it. As I had said in early 2015 when many of you predicted that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would be out of office and would be history by mid-2015 — or by July at the very latest. And what I said was Najib is still going to be Prime Minister come Christmas 2015 and beyond, right up to the next general election — and that when he leaves office it will be on his terms and on the date of his choosing.

But, no, there are so many of you who are expert political analysts who know better. Raja Petra Kamarudin is out of touch. He has been living outside Malaysia for too long. He no longer knows what is going on in Malaysia. What does Raja Petra know?

Well, one thing for sure, I know more than you. I am what we can call a realist. You are what we can call wishful thinking. And that is why my brain is better than yours, especially those Pakatuns and DAP Red Bean Army types.

As I said in Wednesday’s article, Mukhriz’s misstep, he ignored the physics in politics (READ HERE). First was that Mukhriz Mahathir is not good at maths. He thought one plus one equals two. I am teaching you Maths Baru, which is in politics one plus one equals three. So, in the bigger scheme of things, Najib’s hand beat Mukhriz’s by a mile. And all you need is an inch to win.

Second is that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was seen as the Capo di tutti i capi or the Capo dei capi. In English, that would translate to ‘the Boss of all bosses’. The Chinese would say Taipan of all the Taikos. I would sum it up simply as the Godfather.

In other words, as what most people would admit, Umno is a party of warlords (as are all political parties in Malaysia, opposition parties included) but amongst those warlords would be the chief warlord. And this chief warlord is supposed to be Dr Mahathir.

And when you are the chief warlord no one would dare touch you or your family. And if anyone wishes to dislodge you as the chief warlord and claim that title of the new chief warlord, then that person would have to take on you or your family.

In short, the chief warlord and his family are untouchable. And if you dare take on the chief warlord and/or his family (and survive it with your head still on your shoulders) then you take over and become the new chief warlord.

So this is what Najib did. He took on the son of the chief warlord (or the person perceived as the chief warlord who no one would dare touch). However, while the chief warlord went hither and yonder and screamed from every high mountain, Najib stepped silently without a word. And without so much as an ‘excuse me’ Najib pancung the head of the son of the chief warlord.

And do you know what is most beautiful about how Najib did it? Well, in case you were not aware, Najib allowed the palace to do all the work. Najib just set back and watched the palace pancung Mukhriz’s head. And that was the most classic thing about this whole episode.

Joceline Tan wrote about this in her articles Mukhriz finally agrees to go and The journey ends for Mukhriz on the 3rd and 4th February respectively.

Mukhriz was presented with the prepared resignation letter a little after 6pm. The third attempt to have him sign the letter came after the three members of the Regency Council huddled in a closed-door discussion among themselves in the Regency Council office located at Wisma Darul Aman. After that, the state secretary and the state legal adviser met with Mukhriz regarding the resignation letter.

His own ship sank on Tuesday afternoon when it became clear that the group against him had 18 assemblymen against three from his camp and 15 opposition assemblymen.

Kedah has 36 seats which meant that it was a hung situation of 18 versus 18. The Speaker of the state assembly stepped in and cast his lot with the group that wanted Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah and it was all over for Mukhriz.

It was clear that the only way Mukhriz could have stayed in office would be if the opposition supported him. And that would mean Mukhriz would no longer be a Barisan Nasional or Umno Menteri Besar but he would be a Pakatan Harapan Menteri Besar. But then only if PAS also votes with Pakatan Harapan.

The next point is that it was the Palace that had prepared his resignation letter and three times the letter was presented to him for him to sign. Finally, on the third time, Mukhriz had no choice but to sign the letter.

So this was like killing five birds with one stone. First, it was the Palace and not the Prime Minister who forced Mukhriz to resign. Next, the Palace prepared the resignation letter after meeting all 36 State Assemblypersons, including the 15 non-Barisan Nasional ones. Third, the talk that the Palace was supporting Mukhriz and was against Najib was proven false. Fourth, the talk that the Rulers want Najib to go is also false.

And finally, and most important of all, Najib sent a message to all the Umno warlords that if he dares pancung the son of the so-called chief warlord what do you think he will do to those other warlords who try to cross his path? From now on all the other warlords would be kept in line and even Lim Kit Siang had to admit that Najib is getting more powerful by the day.

Raja Petra Kamarudin RPK