FAKE SMILES TURN DEADLY IN UMNO: Najib tries to save his men as Muhyiddin ATTACKS

The R260 billion 11th Malaysia Plan made dubious history yesterday in being the first five-year plan in the past half-century spanning six Prime Ministers which could not even enjoy one-hour wonder as it was immediately overwhelmed and overshadowed by the recording of Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s call for heads to roll in the 1MDB scandal.

The glossiest five-year plan document in the nation’s history, which would have involved the greatest expenditures in packaging than in its content, was not able to bathe in the unchallenged plaudits of a “seven-day wonder” or even “24-hour wonder” as was the case with the unveiling of previous five-year plans.

Parliamentary and national attention was affixed not on the 11th Malaysia Plan but on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s reaction to Muhyiddin’s call for heads to roll in the 1MDB scandal – and the implication whether Najib’s head will also have to roll in the process.

False camaraderie

In just ten days, all the false camaraderie after the UMNO Supreme Council meeting on May 11 have been torn asunder by the uploading of the recording of Muhyiddin’s speech at an UMNO meeting on Saturday, where Muhyiddin’s warning that the 1MDB scandal would cause the downfall of the UMNO/BN government was greeted with loud applause and even “Sack the President” calls.

Muhyiddin’s “the last straw to break the camel’s back” speech has now become the hottest property on You Tube.

It was only some ten days after the UMNO Supreme Council meeting that Najib said his relationship with Muhyiddin was stronger than ever and that no one could divide them.

Najib said those who had been spreading rumours about a fallout would be disappointed by the outcome of the UMNO Supreme Council meeting.

Even the decision of the UMNO Supreme Council had been jettisoned.

The UMNO Supreme Council had urged the Auditor-General’s probe into the 1MDB to be hastened and advised Malaysians to await the Auditor-General’s report which should be made available to the public and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report.

Then why the panic reaction with the Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah announcing after the presentation of the 11MP that he would table to Cabinet next week a restructuring of the 1MDB?

'Sandiwara' to remove 1MDB board as part of revamp so as to avoid charging them for negligence

This appears to be an immediate reaction, not to Muhyiddin’s speech to UMNO last Saturday for heads to roll in 1MDB, but the uploading of the recording of Muhyiddin’s speech on Wednesday.

I will not be surprised if the so-called “restructuring” of 1MDB to be presented to Cabinet next week would involve the setting up of a new 1MDB Board – but this will be completely unsatisfactory.

The Cabinet must insist that all those responsible for the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal must face the consequences, not just the 1MDB Board, but also Najib – failing which the entire Cabinet should resign collectively on an important principle of good governance and accountability.

Has the war in UMNO between the Najib and Muhyiddin factions broken out in the open, with the Umno Cheras division chief Syed Ali Alhabshee supporting Muhyiddin that the entire 1MDB board members be given the boot and allow the police to probe the company unhindered, while the former Deputy Education Minister and currently the Special Affairs Department (JASA) director-General, Mohd Puad Zarkashi on the other hand slamming his ex-boss Muhyiddin as shirking his duties as Education Minister and alleging that the Deputy Prime Minister was too “lazy” to check on the deplorable condition of some of the schools in the country?

As UMNO’s propagandist, nobody would believe that Puad would open fire on the Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Education Minister without the ‘green light’ from the Prime Minister.

In the deepening “smoke and mirrors” political power play in UMNO, who is really thinking about the 11th Malaysia Plan?

Lim Kit Siang is the MP for Gelang Patah