BN SHOW OF SUPPORT 'TRANSIENT': Dr M won't let go this time, Najib-Rosmah have gone too far

One thing is for sure – the former prime minister has his gun trained at nemesis, Najib Abdul Razak. And whether Naib is gaining the upper-hand with a grand show of support from top BN leaders or merely putting on another of his over-the-top shows to scare off rivals, this time, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will not let go until Najib steps down.

After all when he was in power, BN leaders scraped and bowed to him. So Tun Mahathir knows the score. His old colleagues are only out to make the most money and will back the leader offering them the greatest opportunities. Political allegiance, like life, is 'transient' in nature, sad to say.

Mahathir has done that to both the late Tunku Abdul Rahman as well as Abdullah A. Badawi, after Abdullah cancelled his proposed bridge across the Straits of Johor to Singapore.

Although the “old leopard” as some call him was behind Najib’s rise to power, the latter has not given him the hoot. For someone as vengeful as Dr Mahathir, it is hard to believe that he would lay down his arms and enjoy his retirement forever.

This is, despite his promise not to interfere in the country’s politics, when he retired in 2003 after 22 years of dictaatorial rule.

That was more than 10 years ago, but the old leopard does not know his boundaries. His vengeance knows no bounds; when he goes for the kill, his concentration is “laser-focused”.

Dr M needs to pull together a 'united front'. He needs 'frends'

The only difference is that he is a “toothless” leopard that can no longer harm his nemesis as much as he wishes. He needs 'friends'. Najib will not give him the hoot to the former prime minister, as Najib currently has a full control of the police force; Dr Mahathir does not.

Jho Low (right) the alleged 'villain' in the 1MDB saga is close friends with Rosmah Mansor's son Riza Aziz (left). Rosmah, who is Najib's second wife, has scandalized the nation with her excessive spending and love for super luxury. In his recent blog posting, Mahathir had questioned the source of Riza's sudden and enormous wealth, prompting a sharp response from Najib, telling Umno members to disregard divisive 'bad characters' in the party.

Dr Mahathir’s attempt to call on the police to investigate the 1Malaysia Development Fund is only an attempt to be in the limelight again. He should have called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry as proposed by the DAP advisor, Lim Kit Siang.

Although he knows that the police are trained to carry out forensics investigation, they may not necessarily be the best people to investigate a fraud. Malaysians are familiar with the way how scandals are being disposed off, even in court.

The Port Klang Free Trade Zone (PKFZ) is a good example. Several people have been charged during Abdullah Badawi’s term, but most of them have been acquitted.

When the PKFZ scandal erupted, Dr Mahathir was strangely silent about it; therefore, with 1MDB currently a volcano waiting to erupt, Dr Mahathir will do whatever it takes to pull the rag from under Najib’s feet.

Dr Mahathir also knows that once the AGO gives the clean bill of health, Najib would be able to silence his critics, Dr Mahathir included. All the more, for this reason, Dr Mahathir has to throw in the spanner before the AGO starts cranking away in the 1MDB office, a sheer waste of time.

In fact, the Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar had said that the police would now wait for the audit report instead of committing his men to the job.

Urging the police to be involved in the early stages of investigation would be useful if our police force or even the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (upgraded from the former Anti-Corruption Agency) is known to be effective in uncovering major scandals and throwing the long arms at the ‘big fishes.’

No one preparing to speak - not yet anyway

It is learnt that not every cabinet minister is on the same page with Najib on the 1MDB, but no one, including the Integrity Minister, Paul Low is preparing to speak up. On record, the whole cabinet is behind the 1MDB. If some day, someone discovered the scandal, the entire cabinet is responsible.

Being a veteran and understanding very well the political landscape in Malaysia, Dr Mahathir should, in fact, urge the Government to engage independent forensic experts with international reputation, and the experience necessary to uncover a scandal. Local experts may have been trained, but not necessarily have the experience to handle a case as big as the 1MDB.

Most scandals are carried out by professionals who are themselves experts or geniuses in their respective fields. And, it takes these people to sniff out the frauds.

Let’s face it: one reason why our leaders are unwilling to hire the best investigators on the job has nothing to do with the fees or the lame excuse of foreign interference, but the fear that their misdeeds will be exposed.

Most of us would remember that it was Nick Leeson who singlehandedly caused the collapse of Barings Bank. Leeson was a former derivatives broker whose fraudulent, unauthorised speculative trading went unchecked for a long time before it was finally discovered, only too late to save the oldest investment bank in the United Kingdom.

Today, Leeson is a free man after serving his prison term, and a corporate consultant who advises companies about risks and corporate social responsibility. It takes a “turncoat” fraudster to sniff out a fraudulent transaction in 1MDB.

There are many such people we can engage with the money paid to a public relations company like APCO.

Now, in the coming months, the story will unfold, but the outcome may not be any different from most other stories told in the past.

Whether the AGO or even the police can expose the frauds in 1MDB is something yet to be seen, but Dr Mahathir will not hesitate to say anything just to be in the limelight again. He is one person who knows how to leverage on the media, whether for good or for his own selfish intentions. - MAILBAG