Is Najib a statesman?

The way the prime minister carries himself definitely lacks panache. He certainly does not measure up to the likes of President Barack Obama nor Britain's David Cameron.

COMMENT

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is now going around the nation asking the rakyat to give him a big mandate in the 13th general election. He is also making jibes at Pakatan Rakyat’s promises to the rakyat.

What he does not realise is that he is in effect the greatest speaker of what can be labelled as pure gobbledegook.

Among his incredulous and ridiculous statements are those on the debate with Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim; Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP); and the date of the 13th general election

With regard to the debate with Anwar, Najib has given all sorts of lame and nonsensical excuses for not wanting to debate, saying that he would only debate with rational people and not with conspiracy theorists. What a cop-out. If Najib has got the guts, he would debate with anyone anytime.

As for Lynas, at first Najib said that the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lynas is to educate the public but later added that Lynas would not be allowed to operate if there are scientific facts showing that the radioactive material can endanger public health. This shows that Najib’s stand is like a weed or “lalang” in Bahasa Malaysia.

And worst of all is his stand with regard to the general election date which he has said would only be held if there is a “feel good factor” about it. What is a “feel good factor?” Najib is talking like a five-year-old child.

This is the general election to decide the fate of the nation and all he talks about is a “feel good factor”. This columnist’s vegetable seller at the morning market mocked Najib by saying: “When a person says that there is a ‘feel good factor’, he goes and buys a lottery ticket. It is very unbecoming and unacceptable for a PM to talk in this manner. Have you ever heard of the American president or the British prime minister talking like this about their nation’s polls?”

The way Najib carries himself definitely lacks panache. He certainly does not measure up to the likes of President Barack Obama nor Britain’s David Cameron.

‘Brains vs hooligans’

It is high time Malaysians elected a more presentable leader who does not have any elephant-sized baggage attached and who can match up with the leading statesmen on the world’s stage.

So far, Najib has flip-flopped on many statements pertaining to many issues and policies. Among them are plans to set up the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) as part of the New Economic Model (NEM), the NEM, civil servants’ new remuneration scheme, and minimum wage for the private sector

Najib has not designated any clear path to lead the nation. He blunders and bungles about on a trial and error basis. Is this the hallmark of a capable leader? Certainly, he cannot claim to be a world-class statesman. To do so would be a big joke.

Malaysia must exert its competitiveness on the world’s stage. Currently, we are lagging far behind Singapore which has no natural resources but has accomplished a lot more in terms of economic progress so much so that many Malaysians are currently working in Singapore as the grass there is definitely greener.

What can Najib say to all this? Those Entry Point Projects (EPPs) are only equivalent to building castles in the air. They are merely figures on paper and would most probably never see the light of day.

Many of Najib’s promises are merely pie in the sky as he is lacking in ideas on implementation. It is easy to promise, he says, and the same could very well be applied to him – the promise maker who is also the promise breaker.

It is imperative for the rakyat to vote Pakatan Rakyat as we have no other choice. Sticking with the Barisan Nasional (BN) would plunge ordinary Malaysians deeper into the world of doom and gloom.

We must give Pakatan a chance at governing as over half a century under BN governance has seen an increase in corrupt practices and malpractices. The mismanagement of the federal government has reached its zenith and even Indonesia has bypassed us in attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDI).

Time for total change

Malaysia has certainly fallen to an all-time low in terms of transparency and good governance.

Under the BN leadership, there is nothing much to show except skyscrapers but the brain drain is taking an extremely heavy toll on human capital.

Even Talent Corp which was initiated by Najib to attract Malaysian talent to come back home is an an absolute failure.

On the other hand, Pakatan has much greater talent. In the field of finance and economics, there is Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua from DAP, Kuala Selangor PAS MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Rafizi Ramli from PKR.

Do we see this type of intellectual minds in the BN side? Nope, not all all. The brains that BN politicans have are best used for plundering the wealth of the nation and its rakyat through various legalised but dubious means.

Besides the field of economics and finance, Pakatan also has great legal minds in DAP’s Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh, Puchong’s DAP MP Gobind Singh Deo and PKR’s Selayang MP William Leong (corporate lawyer).

All that BN as are hooligans who are hell-bent on disrupting Pakatan’s ceramahs. In the federal government, we have a government that is morally bankrupt in terms of ethics and principles of good governance. It is time to go for a total change.

Selena Tay is a FMT columnist.