All eyes on Mahathir and the revenge he will wreak for Anwar's acquittal

When Malaysian judge Mohamad Zabidin Diah U-turned on his own earlier findings and ruled on January 9, 2012 that Prime Minister Najib Razak's government had not done enough to prove Anwar Ibrahim guilty of sodomy, it was without doubt a triumphant win for the Opposition Leader Anwar and his Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

Not only was it a tremendous morale booster, especially for his long-suffering but faithful PKR party, the sheer euphoria that erupted at the news in the country and across the globe took everyone by surprise. From the US to Canada to Australia, world leaders congratulated Anwar and also praised Najib for what is well-accepted to be the 'right' decision. In this instance, Anwar was never guilty and no one ever believed the ridiculous farce that Najib and Umno stirred up in 2008 to set him back so that they could steal a march on him before the next general election, which must be held by April 2013.

The astounding cheer that was raised in the developed world and the West was a huge eye-opener to Malaysians, who felt proud that one of their leaders could command such high international respect and for the right reasons - unlike former premier Mahathir Mohamad who was often held up and ridiculed as Third-World clown and puppet dictator.The same goes for Najib, whose imbroglios - involving huge kickbacks for purchasing the French Scorpene submarines and not to mention, his great media debacles that sank UK consultancy FBC Media and New York-based APCO - had disgusted the Western world.

But Anwar, like Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyii, is seen to be the hope for the region's future. Both are democracy and reform icons and there are great expectations for both to be the torch bearers of a new generation of conscientious and principled leaders who will finally take the region forward, putting first and foremost the interests of their people rather than themselves.

Umno is no longer the same

Najib tried to claim some of the resulting credit, boasting that “Malaysia has an independent judiciary and this verdict proves that the government does not hold sway over judges’ decisions”. To an extent, Najib does deserve credit but not the judiciary which has not changed at all. But Najib deserves a clap for pulling out albeit at the last minute from such a diabolical conspiracy. Unlike Mahathir in the 1998 Sodomy I, he could not go through with it. And this will likely be saving grace for his administration and himself.

Like it or not, Najib is not cut out to be the head of Umno, mainly because the party itself has changed tremendously through the years. To be numero uno at Umno, one has to wheel and deal with the worst sort of carpet-baggers and outright thieves masquerading as division leaders, aka the notorious Umno warlords. Too used to a life of comfort and luxury, the pampered Najib would never be able to make headway, let alone control such a group of rough diamonds.

His cousin, Hishammuddin Hussein too must remember this lesson. Once one becomes the official PM of the country, anything and everything unsavory will stop at his door - in other words, the buck stops with him. So while high-power is fun and so are the trappings that official status can bring, one must evaluate at the end - is it really worthwhile to blow one's personal reputation and family name just to cling to power by diabolical deeds? No one stays in power perpetually and history will exact the best justice - this is something neither Najib nor Mahathir can ever prevent, no matter how much they spend on public relations.

So for Najib, when it came to the crunch, he realized that the main beneficiaries of the hardline action desired by Mahathir and the Umno right-wing were not himself or his family. Instead, benefiting from a callous conviction of Anwar on trumped-up charges - with perhaps a street riot to boot so as to control Anwar's supporter - were the hardliners themselves, including Mahathir and his sons. From behind the scenes and wielding Najib's sword, they would have destroyed the country and Najib's own legacy and image along with it.

Like a serpent, Mahathir will lash back spitting venom and poison

Whether an appeal of the acquittal is made, Najib now has to tread very carefully. There is nothing much Mahathir can openly do to harm him as the older man still needs to respect the protocols. But behind the scenes, Mahathir can be counted to fight back, and what a war the grand old man and founder of Umno Baru will wage!

Truly like a dark lord out of some sword and sorcery novel, Mahathir is already gathering forces to corner and sink Najib. For sure, Mahathir and his 'geng' (gang) will push Naib to take responsibility for the acquittal and resign as Umno president. Undoubtedly, the acquittal has raised the Pakatan Rakyat's chances by several notches but basically both coalitions are now back to where they were in 2008, before the sodomy charges. The difference is that in the past 4 years, the Pakatan has worked hard, proving their mettle in Selangor, Penang and Kedah. Sad to say, Umno has not worked hard, the party has deteriorated and infighting is now at an unprecedented level.

To observers, whether or not Anwar was found guilty, the ruling Umno and its BN coailition would have faced a much more defiant and popular opposition in the 13th general election. And the Pakatan had a good chance of winning even without Anwar at the helm.

Even so, Mahathir will not be appeased. He hates Anwar with a vengeance. In all this time, it has only been Anwar who could muster enough gun-power to blow him off course and expose his financial misdeeds, which not only include massive corruption but nearly bankrupting the country with various ill-thought-out and downright stupid scams such as trying to corner global tin market or using someone like Nor Mohamad Yakcop to take massive currency bets against the world's best professional dealers including George Soros.

White-hot anger but so what, Umno is already at Death's door

The Umno grapevine has it that Mahathir is now livid, his rage is white-hot. He knows Najib will continue to give him face in public. But basically Najib has cut loose the umbilical cord. Either way, Najib reckons he will have to give up the Umno presidency, so why not, let him do it properly and in a way that will enhance and not damage his family name. The end for Umno is near and both Najib and Mahathir know it.

Mahathir does not really need to prove Najib wrong because those who currently matter in Umno - which are the warlords - are just like him. They are not after the good of the nation or the Malay race. They are not even after fame, they just want Money. Loads of it and in an unstoppable flow. Their greed is unquenchable.

Mahathir still has lots of clout in Umno - some say the influence is proportionate to the fortunes owned by his sons Mokhzani and Mirzan - both of whom feature among the richest men in the world. Indeed, Mahathir is a force to be reckoned with. But so what.

No doubt, he can add fuel to the infighting taking place in every state in Umno to undermine Najib's leadership. But should Najib refuse to play ball, what can Mahathir do. He can kick Najib out but what would he end up with? Very likely, a rotten shell of a party filled with evil and corruption, completely out of touch with reality and unable to win any election, let alone GE-13. Is that considered victory, or is it vengeance gone sour?

The Umno game of charade and manipulation

Nonetheless, given the dark side of his personality, most Umno insiders expect Mahathir to begin by threatening Najib through the usual manipulative ways. Some juicy tidbit or other will be dropped about the 58-year-old Najib, who while is tied to his wife's apron strings is also said to have a roving eye - something that the murdered Altantuya Shaariibuu would be able to shed light on if she had not been murdered by his and Rosmah's ex-bodyguards.

Yes, Mahathir has a very thick dossier on Najib, thicker than the ones he compiled on deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, former premier Abdullah Badawi or even Anwar.

Some believe that 60% of the civil service are still obedient and loyal to Mahathir. These people especially the police intelligence have compiled more documents on Najib and those close to him and his supporters than any other person in Malaysia's 54-year-old history. Yes, Mahathir also has dossiers on Cabinet ministers Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Jamil Khir Baharom, Rosmah Mansor and anybody who shows any inclination to support Najib.

To change rhythm and to confuse observers, Mahathir may also pretend to give some support to the opposition with some token praise meant to tease Najib. Mahathir could act like Idris Jusoh, the former and still-bitter Terengganu Mentri Besar. If son Mukhriz Mahathir has no political future, then no one in Umno should have any political future! This is the take-no-prisoner, feast-or-famine mentality of the greedy Umno elite.

Being a seasoned player, Mahathir will also wait for Najib to respond before leaking further scandals. He will wait for Najib to sweat it out until near breaking point, before sending the message that 'Tun has something to say'. From a position of strength, Mahathir will call Najib to his house for a closed-door, four-eyed meeting to negotiate terms.

But what if Najib and Rosmah refused to crack

In the past, this blackmail worked perfectly on the corruption-tainted Najib, who was also encumbered with his 'playboy-past'. Hence, he was like a clown who walked when Mahathir said 'walk', and talked when Mahathir said 'talk'. It was funny and Mahathir's control of Najib manifested itself in the countless flip-flops and bungles throughout the latter's short tenure.

But with GE-13 so near, if Najib - with Rosmah's encouragement - were to refuse to take the bait, or instead pushes back all his chips onto the table for one final fling against his master -  then Mahathir would have finally lost. If Najib were to say - do your worst, either way I will be forced to give up the Umno presidency, then Mahathir's goose will be finally cooked!

If that happened, it would be useless for Mahathir to use Muhyiddin to threaten Najib. Muhyiddin, the former Johor chief minister, is just as out of touch with reality as Mahathir. For Muhyiddin, Malaysia and the world is Umno. This is the extent of his vision and comprehension. He would only waste the people's time and occupy without fruit the short few years to the 2019 bankruptcy deadline that still awaits highly-indebted Malaysia.

Najib can also form his own gang with Badawi, Ku Li

So it looks like the curtains for Mahathir and his horrible 'geng' of greed. Like a rotting gnarled ancient tree, eaten hollow by its own worms and evil, Mahathir will finally fall, crashing down to the ground with an enormous sound. But sad to say, there will be few sympathizers.

One more thing, Najib can also gang up with other Mahathir foes - such as the Abdullah Badawi faction and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Together, they can rebuild a new Umno, create a refreshed entity without the long shadow of Mahathir, and which can on its own steam challenge and win against the Pakatan Rakyat.

Umno may one day be known again to be of real use to the Malays, rather now - a huge pirate ship on a never-ending looting binge.

It has been a long time coming, but finally, those who still possess a modicum of decency in Umno, those who still fear God in Umno, should gather together and fight this beast called Mahathir Mohamad, who more than anyone else has brought Malaysia to the brink.

Malaysia Chronicle