DIRECT HIT: Potential 'bomb' Scorpenes forces Najib to delay GE-13

Hit by a slew of scandals, the largest and potentially most damaging being his own Scorpenes illicit kickbacks debacle, Prime Minister Najib Razak has been finally forced to admit that the 13th general election might be held in 2013, bolstering widespread public suspicion and opposition claims that he and his BN coalition were on shaky ground.

Reports that came out late last week had said a former ally of his close aide Razak Baginda had agreed to testify in the Scorpenes trial. The reports turned the Umno universe topsy-turvy, with its media and bloggers given strict instructions not to allow the news to percolate to the public.

Then a day ago, Najib's minister Nazri Aziz admitted to Parliament that the BN federal government was contemplating completing its 5-year mandate, which expires in March next year. "Five years means five years so people understand that the representatives they voted for will serve five years," said Nazri.

Explosive details

This is the first strong hint from the Najib administration that it will scupper snap polls which it previously indicated would be held in March/April of this year and then shifted down to June/July. But all windows of opportunity began closing as Najib tripped on landmine after landmine due to the barely-hidden mountain of corruption scandals within his Umno-BN coalition.

The most recent election indications leaked out by his camp were for September polls and then November after an outcry from worried Muslims that Najib might even hold the national ballot during the October Haj or pilgrimage season.

"We weren't expecting Najib to delay further than June/July. This is quite shocking because it shows that he is politically much weaker than expected. There is scandal and corruption everywhere in BN. The most serious is of course the Scorpenes case. This is being tried in the French court and is a time bomb with explosive details to be revealed very soon. The trial is an official finding, not like the RM3billion master account allegations Umno is now throwing at Anwar to deflect attention," PKR vice president and Batu MP Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

"You can tell the difference, Anwar welcomes an RCI into the accusation he has RM3 billion salted away in 20 master accounts. Will Najib dare to establish an RCI to probe Anwar or will he fear that the true dark hands involved would be exposed as these could include himself and of course Mahathir Mohamad. Also, if Anwar can wlecome an RCI, why doesn't Najib dare to call for a Scorpenes RCI?"

No matter which date, he will lose

PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli echoed these views at a ceramah - or political talk - in Kuala Lumpur later on Thursday night. According to Rafizi, there was no point for Najib to delay as the consequences were too grave.

“There are interesting developments in France which Najib won’t be able to handle if it blows up,” Rafizi told a crowd of about 2,000.

“That is why he is delaying polls. No matter what date he calls for he will lose."

Indeed, the allegations against Najib are very serious, touching on treason. French cops have uncovered documents that indicate that both he and his close aide Razak Baginda had sold naval secrets to submarines vendor DCNS.

Najib ordered the submarines for the Malaysian government in 2002 when he was the Defense minister. Baginda brokered the deal, with submarines vendor DCNS allegedly paying a 'bribe' of at least 114 million euros or RM570 million to Malaysian officials, including Najib, for sealing the acquisition.

Even at that time, there was public outcry as the RM7.3 billion submarines were deemed too expensive and unsuitable for Malaysia's shallow coastal waters. But Umno, which is also accused of taking a share in the illicit kickbacks, hammered the deal through.

Traitor

SUARAM, the Malaysian NGO filing the civil complaint against DCNS on behalf of the Malaysian people, finally made headway when the French authorities ruled that there was sufficient evidence to take the case into open trial. SUARAM filed the complaint in 2010 after years of trying to get the Malaysian authorities to probe the deal but without success.

Last week, SUARAM announced that the French court would summon Jasbir Singh Chahl to testify. He has denied this but SUARAM is sticking with its claim. However, the NGO acknowledges that Jasbir may not have received the summons yet, which could be on the way still.

"It is not just Jasbir, there are a host of other evidence. I spoke to SUARAM lawyers when they were in Bangkok earlier this month. They are very confident there is more than enough evidence to show illicit commission were paid out," said Tian.

If DCNS is found guilty, it may have to compensate Malaysian taxpayers for the inflated pricing caused by the bribes. It would also finally expose Najib if he was indeed involved and force a full-scale investigation by the Malaysian government into the acquisition.

“What do you call someone who does that (sell naval secrets)? A traitor!” Rafizi told the crowd, which roared and cheered the PKR leader on.

Malaysia Chronicle