DESPITE 1MDB & SIRUL STORMS, NAJIB IS READY: March 8 'dialog' perfectly-staged & carrots already dangled!

In August 2014 a gathering was held in Putrajaya which was said to have been attended by more than 160 Umno division heads as a show of support for Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and to show Tun Dr. Mahathir that he was just alone in Umno in criticizing Najib.

However for the coming 8th March 2015 event, it will not just be a gathering to show solidarity with Najib who has been attacked form all fronts pertaining to so many issues, but also a dialog to get clarifications from Najib on those issues.

The idea of having a dialog between the Umno division heads and Datuk Seri Najib Razak this March was mooted by several division heads. This is also to ensure that Najib honors his promise to meet all division heads twice a year.

But will Najib be ready for them this March? Is he prepared for the dialog?

Perfectly-staged show can be expected

It all depends on who will be attending and what is the real agenda. Najib has always been known to arrange so many “stage shows” and self-grandiose events which will then be shown in the mainstream media for the rest of the people to see how popular and a great leader he is.

He would not mind if the images were photo-shopped either.

But this time around, it will not be the normal rent-a-crowd supporters; they are Umno division heads who may and may not be in favour with Najib.

There are 191 of them and how many of them have been appeased by Najib by giving them worldly rewards to ensure their loyalty and support? Surely not everyone is happy with Najib and some may not even be rewarded yet. There are loose cannons too.

Ku Nan's FT post as a reward?

Cheras Umno division head, Datuk Seri Syed Ali Alhabshee has been entrusted to make sure that the “stage show” will indeed be in Najib’s favour. He has to make sure that those who would be attending must be Najib loyalists and ‘kaki bodek’.

So far Syed Ali has been very vocal in his support both for Najib and his wife Rosmah. Syed Ali could be eyeing for the Minister of Federal Territories post, this event in March may seal the deal and his fate in getting the post, but that is another story.

It is also clear that not everybody will come. There would not be 191 of them. Thus based on the 160 (2014) and 170 (2015) figures, those in favour of Najib are still substantial. The other twenty or so division heads could not be bothered to show support.

Better for Najib if critics stayed away

However Najib would be very happy for their absence because in the proposed dialog, they could ask questions that Najib could not answer. What if instead of showing support, the gathering ended with some odd voices asking Najib to go?

But even if this event were to be very successful as it would be perfectly staged, it does not really mean Najib can be confident that he is going to stay in power. What could one “stage show” do to have lasting impact on Najib’s reputation and status?

After all, it is only just another “stage show” and a boring one too. - MAILBAG