Theantdaily Dr M-Daim vs Najib; who will win Umno’s battle royal? Ng Kee Seng OUTSPOKEN: It is significant and interesting to note that Malay right wing group Perkasa has accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of failing to deliver his promises for the past five years. Why is Perkasa attacking Najib? Isn’t Perkasa an outsourced arm to do Umno’s dirty work? Well, it is both. Perkasa adviser is former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Dr M is Umno. This time, Perkasa (read as Dr M) has seized the KLIA2 allocation of shoplots issue to blast Najib. Perkasa is blaming Najib for failing to ensure Bumiputera businessmen were given opportunities to do business at the newly opened KLIA2. Its secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali said Najib’s promises to Bumiputera businessmen remained mere rhetoric. “The failure of Malay entrepreneurs to get business lots at KLIA2 is proof that all of Najib’s promises over the last five years to enhance Bumiputera participation in business and commerce were mere lip service,” he said in a statement. Syed Hassan said Perkasa had always expressed concern that Bumiputera businessmen should be given opportunities but that the issue of Malay traders being marginalised in KLIA2 was too glaring. “Bumiputera traders are sidelined not only in KLIA2 but also at other new business and commercial centres like in KLCC,” he said. He said Perkasas proposal to Najib that government-linked companies (GLCs) assist Bumiputera in business ventures had also fallen on deaf ears. “The GLCs have not taken seriously the prime minister’s repeated calls to help Malay traders,” he said. Syed Hassan also questioned the Bumiputera Economy Action Council (MTEB) which did not translate its many pronouncements into actions to benefit Malay businessmen. “MTEB is chaired by the prime minister and where is the organisation now?” he asked. Umno-controlled Malay daily Utusan Malaysia had earlier reported that many Bumiputera traders failed to secure places to conduct business at the airport which opened on May 2. The newspaper’s assistant group editor Datuk Zaini Hassan had expressed concern that it was difficult to find Malay food outlets at the airport. Malaysian Insider, however, quoted Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) dismissing the allegation and said that 40 per cent of the businessmen at the airport were Bumiputeras who were involved in retail trade. Perkasa’s (again read as Dr M) attack on Najib is not surprising to Malaysians, especially political observers. It’s the same tactic used by Mahathir to unseat then premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi after the 12th General Election (GE12) in 2008. It took Dr M barely a year to force Abdullah out of office. However, this time, it is taking Mahathir longer to unseat a stubborn Najib who is bent on remaining in office at all costs. Mahathir is no ordinary political foe. After ruling Malaysia with an iron fist for 22 years, he has accumulated a mean political war chest to face any “challenger”. With age as his main drawback, Mahathir is in a hurry to ensure that his son, Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhkriz’s ambition to be a prime minister is not prematurely ended by political rivals. Mahathir’s war chest is what’s keeping all his Umno and Umno-linked lackeys loyal to him until today. These lackeys have no fear in championing Mahathir’s cause. If they are asked to jump, they will ask: “How high Tun?” Mahathir’s war chest can easily cause much trouble for Najib and Malaysians politically. It is only a matter of timing to go for the “kill”. Also, let’s not forget the war chest of his biggest and most faithful ally who was twice appointed finance minister – Tun Daim Zainuddin. On Dec 17, 2012, the weirdest thing happened when Mahathir’s name was mysteriously removed from a Wikipedia list detailing the wealth of former and current heads of state and government in the world. Citing 53 references, the Wikipedia page had listed Mahathir as the second richest former head of government after deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak whose wealth stood at between US$40 billion (RM130 billion) and US$70 billion. However, while the Wikipedia page is still available in Malaysia, Mahathir’s name appears to have been mysteriously removed on Dec 17, 2012, minutes after Malaysia Chronicle ran a story titled “Mahathir now the world’s second richest ex-leader with US$44 billion?” Alerted by a staff that Mahathir’s name had been replaced on the No 2 spot by the late Indonesian president Suharto, the editors decided to withdraw the story pending further checks and granting that information on Wikipedia can sometimes be manipulated.
Posted on: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 06:05:25 +0000
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