THE DEVIL'S COCKTAIL: What 'trump cards' will Umno play in the last lap?

So far, all of UMNO’s presidents have been elevated to the premiership of the country without getting mandate of the people.

Tunku Abdul Rahman was installed as Malaysia's first prime minister with the approval and support of the British and not be a popular vote.

Tun Abdul Razak replaced the Tunku via an internal party coup using the infamous May 13, 1969 racial riots as the excuse. Till now, many political veterans believe it was the ambitious Abdul Razak who instigated the street killings that left dozens dead and unaccounted for - all in a bid to topple his boss and to take over the top position in the country.

Tun Hussein Onn, the brother-in-law of Abdul Razak, then took over the premiership when the latter died a few years later.

Then in 1981, Tun Mahathir Mohamad took over from Hussein when the latter resigned due to weak health.

Mahathir ruled for 22 years before handing over the baton to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2003.

In 2009, following another internal party coup backed by Mahathir, Prime Minister Najib Razak - the eldest son of second premier Abdul Razak - took over from Badawi. The grounds for Badawi's ouster was that he had not governed well and that had led to the UMNO-BN losing control of 5 states to the Opposition.

So again, it can be seen that Najib - the 6th prime minister - was not elected through the ballot boxes but 'promoted' to the post by his own party which felt justified in doing so because it holds the largest number of seats in Parliament. Najib was a prime mover in Badawi's ouster and his elevation to the PM's chair was his reward.

Who will be the 7th PM

Now talk is rife that there will be another power tussle in UMNO. Najib's own deputy Muhyiddin Yassin is next in line to be rewarded by the UMNO warlords. To earn their support, all he needs to do is to crack the whip and turn Malaysia into a hardline authoritarian regime so that the ruling elite in UMNO can continue to remain in power and control the nation's wealth.

The 64-year-old Muhyiddin had helped Najib to topple Badawi. It is now time for his reward but while chances are high that he will replace Najib as the UMNO president within the next 12 months, it is unlikely that Muhyiddin will make it as the 7th prime minister of Malaysia.

It evident to pundits that the Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is gaining strength by the day. On the lips of the ordinary folk are already the prediction that the Pakatan will sweep to power PROVIDED there is no cheating at the ballot boxes.

A Pakatan victory would spell the first regime change in Malaysia since the country declared its independence from British rule in 1957. Obviously such a landmark development cannot happen without triggering a major response from UMNO.

Within the UMNO leadership is now a mixture of disbelief, anguish, panic and above all sheer funk that the people will finally cut them loose and punish them for 5 decades of perceived mis-governance and alleged corruption. UMNO leaders have tried every trick in the book except to do the right thing - which is to 'fess' up and reform.

Racial and religious politicking - their main strategy of the past decades - and which they have resorted to no longer work. The latest use of violence, political thuggery, lawsuits, sex and smut have only turned the nation further away from the UMNO-BN.

The Malays and the non-Malays

Through the decades, political watchers have said that UMNO's presidents and top leaders were propped up by their own party machinery. The party's stranglehold on the federal government allowed them to gerrymander and bend the rules unabashedly. They won past elections through cheating and not because they truly had the support of the Malays - who form some 55% of the country's 28 million population.

But as the saying goes, every dog has its day and it is time for the UMNO elite to get their just deserts. The ordinary Malays who have been left out of the gravy train, getting only the crumbs, now feel the pinch due to runaway inflation and costs. They are unhappy and they are angry. Most cannot afford to own homes in the urban areas, where prices have sky-rocketed due to the government's insistence on a loose monetary policy, reliance on pump priming and debt activities to satisfy business cronies and to stem further loss of popularity with the masses.

As for the non-Malays, they have been taken for so many 'rides' that they no longer believe in anything the UMNO-BN leaders say. UMNO-BN does not need them and they do not need UMNO-BN! Left to weather the harsh winds on their own, most of them - although not all - have been able to develop their ability to compete educationally and economically on a global basis. The 'muscle' they have built for themselves is inspiring - if only UMNO would allow it to be recognized, acknowledged and used in their home country.

Of the people, for the people and by the people

As for UMNO members and supporters, they have been encouraged to be 'insular' and 'introverted' - to look no further than the party's interests. Perhaps this is why many do not realize that Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak, Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Mahathir, Tun Abdullah Badawi and Najib are not the Prime Ministers of the people, for the people and by the people. Perhaps they do not understand why it should make a difference.

Instead, it is accepted in UMNO culture for their bigwig leaders to hold the “Queen” position. As in an ant colony, the Queen Ant is entitled to be fed, groomed and protected, so too are the UMNO elite honored and even 'worshipped'. Until it is deemed timely to replace the 'Queen' for the safety of the overall habitat that is - much like the current and past plots to overthrow the incumbent and previous UMNO presidents.

Perhaps this is why there is now so much trouble and turmoil in UMNO-BN. True leaders are installed by the majority of the people. For a multi-racial country like Malaysia, it is therefore pertinent to also have the support of all the races - not just the support of one's own party.

Although, UMNO-BN have boasted that they are endorsed by all the ethnic groups, the fact is that UMNO is supported by the UMNO Malays, MCA by MCA Chinese, MIC by MIC Indians while Gerakan and PPP are supported by the people at the fringes. Sarawak BN is 'sponsored' by its controversial Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, with Sarawakians having no say in their own state government! Sabah BN too have fooled Sabahans into supporting them and there is nothing that the people of Sabah can do about it except to vote out these bogus self-serving leaders at the next general election.

A true leader

True leaders have their own traits, stature, charisma, aura, style, ideologies, ideas, struggles and vision. Greats like Nelson Mandela are humble, with a world view that is non-racist despite having often been victims of apartheid systems or bigotry or both. They are simple folk, with charisma and their own personal dignity. They also have the ability to put their personal interests at the bottom of their list and those of the majority at the top.

In Malaysia, the hero of the Malays was Anwar Ibrahim. Despite the all-out attempts by Mahathir and now Najib to tarnish him with fabricated sodomy charges, he remains a figure of respect within his community. Although his super-star status was diminished during his years in jail, he is now back in the saddle and resurgent.

No doubt Anwar is not perfect but he is respected by other world leaders and recognized as being a prime minister designate by many global powers. Nelson Mandela is a 'black' who struggled for the betterment of all people in South Africa - not just his own marginalized black community. Likewise, Anwar Ibrahim is Malay but he does not struggle for only the Malays but for all Malaysians as witness his tough stand on equitable wealth distribution and opportunities.

Recently, the sight of Anwar being greeted by thousands of cheering Malaysians at the Selangor Merdeka Eve celebration was an eye opener. It was an indicator not only of his popularity, but it also showed the people felt that he is the most appropriate leader to be the next Prime Minister.

The unprecedented show of spontaneous support for Anwar - especially in the Selangor state that the UMNO covets - has unnerved their top leaders. Their horse, Najib, should have been the one to have sparked that sort of public fervor and support from a crowd that was clearly multiracial. Unfortunately Najib failed here, and worse still, is now the butt of ridicule for having allegedly ordered photos to be 'doctored' so as to give an impression that he drew immense public support when the converse is true in reality.

Time for soul-searching is past

The time for UMNO to do serious soul-searching is past. Sad to say, it is too late and Malaysians are unlikely to wait anymore. UMNO and its BN partners will have to move to the side to heal themselves, while the Pakatan gets a shot at mending and reviving a nation, battered almost to death by the BN's brutal racial supremacy policies and dishonest economic management.

No wonder, UMNO-BN are now ramping up their attacks against Anwar. If they shoot the 'head', the rest of the Pakatan will collapse like a house of cards. So goes the theory and the basis for the speculation that UMNO-BN will soon unveil several diabolical plots ahead of the 13the general election that Najib has hinted will be held in November. Unable to turn the tide of public favor to their side, Najib and team are expected to unleash their last string of aces up their sleeves soon.

Sex, thuggery, violence & lawsuits - the Devil's cocktail!

What 'trump cards' will UMNO-BN pull out in the last lap?

Well, the prosecution's appeal against Anwar's acquittal for sodomy charges are set for November and the past circus of insinuations, name-calling and reputation tarring can be expected. Before this appeal takes place, Anwar and Azmin Ali, the PKR deputy president, will also face trial for having instigated the police brutality against the 250,000-strong crowd that thronged the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28.

A slew of other Pakatan leaders such as PAS deputy president Mat Sabu, PKR vice president Tian Chua are also due to be questioned over their presence and roles in pro-democracy and clean election rallies including the 'Janji Demokrasi' Meredeka Eve celebrations in Kuala Lumpur. So too are Janji Demokrasi activists Samad Said and Maria Chin Abdullah. Neither has the Najib administration forgotten about civil society leader Ambiga Sreenevasan, the renowned Bersih co-chief, for organizing the nation's largest ever peaceful gathering before the police turned on the crowds at Bersih 3.0.

Other Pakatan leaders including DAP MP for PJ Utara Tony Pua, PKR MP for Kuantan Fuziah Salleh, PKR MP for Ampang Zuraida Kamaruddin and Rafizi face a battery of legal suits launched in an apparent bid to gag and prevent them from further exposing corruption and environmental issues. The online media from The Malaysian Insider, Malaysiakini, FMT and Malaysia Chronicle have already been hit by lawsuits, including from Australian miner Lynas which controversially obtained a temporary operating licence to begin rare earth refinery operations in Gebang, Pahang in October.

The allegedly health hazardous use of cyanide at a gold mine in Raub - again in Najib's home state of Pahang - that recently got Malaysians so upset that more than 15,000 congregated to protest is another time bomb waiting to explode. Already, the gold miner has threatened lawsuits in a bid to clamp down on negative publicity, but as activists have pointed out - such defensive action may well be at the expense of public knowledge and awareness.

So it looks like the battle for Malaysia will shift into higher gear - closer and closer to the Devil's furnace as some have put. For sure, UMNO and its sister organizations will continue to fan racial and religious emotions in their bid to defend their traditional electorate - the Malays.

Sex will be another crucial ingredient in their making of the ultimate time bomb to destroy Anwar and team. However, after the Sodomy I, Sodomy II and the incredible Datuk T sex video, UMNO-BN now run the risk of a tremendous public backlash if they continue to use such smut and gutter politicking.

Not only is the grapevine buzzing with talk of another two sex video productions against Anwar and Azmin, even DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng will not be spared. Arch rival MCA president Chua Soi Lek is expected to go all out to destroy the Penang Chief Minister's clean-cut image and tarnish his administration which has been praised for efficiency and innovation.

So let the final lap of the Games Begin but be Warned. The chances are high the outcome will be that the next Malaysian leader won't come from UMNO. He won't be an UMNO president elevated by his party through internal coup, without a mandate from the people!

Malaysia Chronicle