NAJIB PICKING UP DR M'S GAUNTLET? Unlikely despite 'no' to MAS, new detention laws

UPDATE3 KUALA LUMPUR - In what critics say may be a calculated move with an eye on the upcoming Umno election, Prime Minister Najib Razak distanced himself from the demands expressed recently by many of his party's conservatives, including former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

Najib not only snubbed Mahathir's suggestion offered over the weekend that the government privatizes national airline MAS, but also stood firm against demands for new detention laws to curb violent crime.

"I wish to make it clear that MAS will not be privatized. Even though MAS is still suffering losses, the turnaround process has done a lot of good and there is a downward trend to the huge losses from before," Najib told a press conference at Putrajaya on Monday.

"The government is studying the matter so that individual human rights will not be offended, on top of protecting public interest and public order. There must be a balance,” was Najib's response when asked about Mahathir's criticism that the repeal of the Emergency Ordinance and Internal Security Act was to blame for the spike in violent crime.

Asked if the government was bringing back preventive detention laws, Najib said "we have not made any final decision, we want to see whether the existing laws are sufficient. At the moment we are having very intensive discussions."

Najib also said that the government would be “mindful” of human rights when drafting new laws to fight crime.

Not enough courage to fight against 'Triple-M Axis'

His comments are bound to be seen by many as a challenge to Mahathir, to whom he has deferred to on all major issues since become Umno president and prime minister in 2009.

Some believe he was trying to show he was his "own man" and capable to taking on Dr M in any party challenge. In Umno, there is talk of a Triple-M Axis consisting of Mahathir, son Mukhriz and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin out to make a stab for the Umno presidency and deputy presidency.

To some party watchers, it looks like Najib has drawn battle lines and will fight the Triple-M Axis for the top Umno posts. However, others disagreed, saying that Najib was just trying to exploit Mahathir's rather overblown comments made carelessly over the weekend.

"Highly unlikely because Najib, sorry to say, has no gumption to fight Dr M and will never have. My view is that he is just trying to win over the middle ground in Umno. Let's not forget there is a large middle ground in Umno, it is not just the Perkasa hot-heads or Mahathir-types who dominate in Umno. Najib is playing good cop while arranging with Zahid Hamidi (the Home Minister) to play bad cop. Zahid's job is to win over the right-wing," MP for Batu Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Testing the ground in Umno

While the Opposition generally welcomed the greater show of "independence" from Najib, they suspected he might be trying to test the ground in Umno, where  analysts have predicted a 'mother-of-all-battles' for the party's topmost posts, including Najib's presidency.

"Of course, we are slightly surprised and while we welcome the clarification from Najib, what he has said is not enough. It is merely what should be said by any sensible leader. Of course, it is much less silly than what the hardliners like Mahathir and Zahid Hamidi have been calling for, which is to bring back the EO to stop the shooting sprees. However, to really resolve the sharp rise in crime, we need a lot more transformation such as the IPCMC, more police personnel deployed to the crime-fighting units rather than being parked at Special Branch to spy on the Opposition leaders," MP for Wangsa Maju Tan Kee Kwong told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Najib's words do not carry much value given that the whole debate on new sets of laws was brought about because of his own indecision and fickle-mindedness. He has yet to deliver on his promise on the ISA and other laws but his administration is already so bullishly talking about bringing back the EO and new ISA-type laws. His views will be judged through his ministers and so long as his ministers remain ignorant on human rights, how can the Malaysian public trust his words," MP for Pandan Rafizi Ramli told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Najib's words are meaningless and hollow. For example, ISA has been replaced by SOSMA, Section 27 of the Police Act replaced by the Peaceful Assembly Act while the Sedition Act is still un-repealed. Yet his Cabinet is already talking about a replacement National Harmony Act. Clearly, he has no political will to adhere to human rights and principles . The push for preventive laws from his ministers is very strong and we are concerned because there has been no attempt to table clear end effective measures," PKR legal affairs and human rights director Latheefa Koya told Malaysia Chronicle.

"BN is in shambles. The PM says one thing, the Home Minister the opposite. Najib's claims are unbelievable as previous promises of democratization turned out to be false, for example the Peaceful Assembly Act and SOSMA. If he is serious about human rights, he must repeal all anti-democratic laws such as the Sedition Act, the Printing Press Act, the PAA and allow the Opposition equal access to TV and radion," MP for Padang Serai N Surendran told Malaysia Chronicle.

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