The luckless Najib is a worried man

Tunku Abdul Aziz

For all that air of irrepressible confidence of a suave man about town, Najib, according to the grapevine, has not been sleeping too well lately. It would have been totally inhuman to expect him to sleep like a baby. First, he is not a baby, and second, so I have been told, he is a very worried man. And I don’t suppose I can blame him for that either. I should myself be worried sick if I were in his custom-made shoes. It is a wonder that he is able to sleep at all.

Najib is a worried man. And shouldn’t he be, with all those innuendos and other salacious allegations, for example, of being an accessory to a murder, swirling around his ankles? I know I would. I feel sorry for the man because in spite of wielding great power over all that he surveys, there are Malaysians within and outside the country who do not show sufficient gratitude and respect to the prime minister, and would not let him alone. Why are they so determined to strip the great man naked and expose him warts and all for what they believe him to be?

Raja Petra Kamarudin, the unchallenged prince of Malaysian bloggers, has now been joined by PKR strongman and prominent lawyer, Zaid Ibrahim, no pushover, to put the skids under Najib. As if this combination is not potent enough, we have identified a number of respected citizens clamouring for straight answers to their straight questions. They, as good citizens of this country have every right to expect a modicum of truthfulness from their prime minister.

So far they have been disappointed that in spite of the weight of circumstantial evidence, and Bala’s first statuary declaration made before the fear of God was put into him, Najib and Rosmah have continued put on an injured look.

Zaid Ibrahim has accused Najib of being frightened of RPK and Bala because what they do not know about the murder of Altantuya is really not worth knowing. So, is it any surprise that no effort was made to interview Bala in London? Yes, there was a little shadow play put on by the self-proclaimed independent MACC; it was nothing more than an empty gesture to pull wool over the eyes of the world. By insisting on certain unacceptable conditions beloved of the Special Branch, they were making sure that the truth would never see the light of day. How in heaven’s name did the MACC hope to gain public trust and confidence if
this was the best they could produce from their bag of tricks? And as for the Royal Malaysia Police, the less said the better.

So it looks as if whoever first came up with the old English saying that one “could get away with murder” must have been thinking of Malaysia. Khairy Jamaluddin’s lashing out at the police for their laid back attitude towards the capture of, in their word, the fugitive RPK, got my conspiracy theory machine firing on all twelve cylinders. It is fairly obvious that there is little love lost between Khairy and Najib and RPK’s arraignment before our courts would open the flood gates of evidence. In combination with what Bala knows could spell the end of Najib’s charmed political life. Khairy is a young man in a hurry. I hope he knows what he is doing, for his own sake.

What options for the beleaguered Najib? Difficult choices all, but he must submit himself to judicial scrutiny by defending himself against the allegations levelled against him by his accusers. In the belief that truth will prevail, here is a chance for him to prove his innocence.

He will earn the love and respect of his fellow Malaysians and, in the process, strengthen his claim to moral and ethical legitimacy to lead the nation. Has Najib the strength and integrity of character to defend his good name and honour in a court of law? I hope to goodness that our prime minister has the moral courage to let the court decide.