Guan Eng's Scorpene dive: Zahid scoots off, raising the spectre of Fuad Stephens

When news broke that Defense Minister Zahid Hamidi had chickened out of a ride on the controversial Scorpene submarine at the 11th hour, there was a flurry of calls for Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to also withdraw. Don't go, it's a trap! Remember Fuad Stephens! Remember the curse from the birthday cakes! were among the cries of protest from his supporters that included Pakatan Rakyat members.

But ride the Scorpene, which has cost Malaysian taxpayers a pretty penny and left the nation stuck with billion-ringgit debts for the next two decades at least, Guan Eng did. Keeping him company were PKR's Mansor Othman and DAP's P Ramasamy.

"I have another official function to attend to. They will definitely be back," Zahid told reporters this afternoon, sensing the unspoken question.

Guan Eng and team are due to return from the dive and be back at the Hotel Awana Porto Malai around 4pm.

Why let BN put us in a spot

If the Pakatan team return safely, then there would be nothing so sinister about Zahid's sudden withdrawal. Umno and BN would probably try to turn the situation on the Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

But what is significant is actually the character failing that is becoming evident in so many Umno leaders of late. Not only do they feel they have the right to make abrupt U-turns as they wish despite having given clear assurances to the contrary, they now behave and speak with impunity, knowing that the courts and the police will surely take their sides and defend thier wrong doings.

In the case of Zahid, he obviously thought nothing of leaving Guan Eng and team in the lurch. Given the BN's ruthless track record, many believe that Lim, Mansor and Ramasamy should not have taken the risk.

"It is not worth it. Guan Eng is a very influential leader. He is not just a fine politician but a man with ideas and a vision. Obviously, he would be a main target for the BN, not that I am saying they would resort to murder although we also have the Altantuya incident which really reeks of desperation," PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng toldMalaysia Chronicle.

"But the fact is, accidents do happen. So if Zahid himself doesn't dare to take the risk, why should our Pakatan leaders be put on the spot. Of course, if something happened to Guan Eng, Mansor and Ramasamy, you can be sure BN would have already lost themselves the next general election. But I think the lives of our leaders are more important."

Raising the memory of Fuad Stephens

Mohammad Fuad Stephens was the first Chief Minister of Sabah, and also the first Huguan Siou or Paramount Leader of the Kadazandusun community. In 1964, he stepped down as Chief Minister in order to become the first Malaysian federal cabinet member from Sabah

In 1973, Fuad was appointed as the governor of Sabah, known as the Yang di-Pertua Negara (the post was later known as Yang di-Pertua Negeri). He held this position until 1975. Later that same year, Fuad together with Harris Salleh formed a new political party called Berjaya and proceeded to win the 1976 state election, defeating Tun Mustapha's USNO.

Forty-four days later, he died in a plane crash, and till now, Sabahans have bitter memories of how and why he died. The suspicion is still strong that the Umno-led federal government was behind the crash as Fuad wanted to pull Sabah out from the Federation due to a deadlock over the negotiations for oi royalty.

Recently, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who was then the Finance minister and the architect of the Petronas Development Act 1974, recounted to the East Malaysian press of how he nearly died in that crash with Fuad. At the last moment, an official had quietly motioned him to leave the plane and under impression that he was needed to clear some matter or other, he did so. The revelation further bolstered the view of many Malaysians that Fuad was murdered.

Altantuya-Scorpene scandal

The offer to Guan Eng and the Pakatan team to take a dive on the Scorpene came about 21 months ago, when the DAP leader slammed the government after it was reported that the two Scorpene subs , costing RM7 billion, were malfunctioning.Suddenly, earlier this week and in conjunction with the LIMA 2011 event at Langkawi, Zahid offered to 'prove' to Guan Eng the Scorpenes could dive.

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