Dr M gives up on Najib: He won't get two-thirds, delay GE-13 till Chinese support returns

It looks like a disgusted Mahathir Mohamad has finally given up on Prime Minister Najib Razak, finally throwing in the towel and accepting that it would be better to delay general elections until the Barisan Nasional could win back support from key groups including the Chinese who form about 30 per cent of the electorate.

"We could have told him that and Najib could have saved the nations hundreds of million in Budget 2012. Instead of the one-off cash aids, he could have channeled the money into sustainable mechanisms and scheme. But for GE-13, he decided to splurge money Malaysia can ill afford. Now even with so many goodies and cash aid, the people still don't want to vote for the BN. What does this say about his strategy and foresight, what does it say about his leadership," PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.

Who really wanted early polls?

Indeed, Najib had reportedly gunned after an early 2012 GE-13 after failing to coax the nation into thinking more positively about his Umno party and the BN coalition it leads last year. Mahathir too had hinted GE-13 could be close by, after sarcastically advising Najib in public not to hold a vote until at the very end of his term.

However, in certain circles in Umno, the talk is that contrary to what the leaders publicly say, Najib and wife Rosmah Mansor wanted to dig in at Putrajaya for as long as they can. "Why should we," was the reply given by Rosmah when asked during the Hari Raya open house last year if Najib would call for snap polls.

As for Mahathir's camp, they were afraid Najib would delay too long before calling for polls and wanted it to be done before the economy soured. However, Najib's weak leadership plus the unprecedented racial and religious politicking have upset the people. The latest rash of 'crony' corporate deals too have closed the door on the possibility of early polls, and although the worsening economy will make it tough for Najib to account to the people later on, there is no other way out for BN now. Mahathir's fears have come true.

"BN can’t afford to lose support from any sector of the country. The current thinking is that the Chinese won’t vote for the government,” Mahathir told Bloomberg in an interview published on Thursday.

Najib won't be able to win two-thirds

Mahathir also made the telling revelation that he did not believe Najib could win back the two-thirds parliamentary majority but may at best win a simple majority. He also expects BN to struggle to win back states held by Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

“If you have the time, use the time to build up support,” said Mahathir.

Yet Mahathir himself is the acknowldeged leader of the conservative right-wing in Umno, and advices groups such as the extremist Perkasa, which just days ago stirred a national controversy by snubbing the Chinese community and refusing for apologize for giving out ang-pows in white envelopes.

Mahathir had also actively challenged Najib on his 1Malaysia platform, the key pillars of which would remove racial inequality and level the playing field in key business sectors as long-advised by investors. The older man openly rapped Najib for proposing to replace the race-based New Economic Policy with a needs-based New Economic Model, which Najib had pinched from the Pakatan Rakyat's manifesto.

Apart from the white ang-pow fisaco, Malaysians are also unhappy with Najib over the RM250 million NFC financial debacle, the AirAsia-MAS share swap and the recent Proton stake sale to crony tycoon Syed Mokhtar Albukhary.

They also enraged by RM7bil West Coast Expressway that Najib awarded to Europlus, a loss-making firm, at twice the original proposed cost and with a record-breaking 60-year concession period.

Malaysians see the rash of deals as the last grab for national goodies by Najib and his Umno colleagues and this has infuriated them even more. Corruption is at the top of the list, along with racial and religious politicking, for BN's fall from voter's favour.

Parliament will automatically dissolve in April 2013, and if Najib left to close to the end as suggested by Mahathir, then he would be only PM who did not secure his own mandate from the people. Najib was appointed PM by his party after leading an internal ouster of his boss Abdullah Badawi in 2008. He officially took office in April 2009.

Malaysia Chronicle