1MDB - NAJIB'S 'MOTHER OF ALL PIRATE SHIPS': UMNO'S 'MONOPOLY' ON CORRUPTION IS BROKEN

1MDB has indeed ripped open the canned political worms of over three decades of Umno rule. And today, the world’s oldest political regime is fighting a battle from inside and out. That battle is further long-drawn today as the Bugis warrior and his oarsmen are determined to fight till the end.

In the meantime, the victims are we Malaysians. Not only are we reeling and agonizing over the fall of the ringgit-power but the Goods and Service Tax (GST) has cut so deep a wound that consumers are unable to find any remedy.

Plastic bags have gone thinner. Food is lesser while prices have soared. Shopping malls and restaurants are nearly empty. And now, Najib’s government has just increased the toll rates despite so many promises made at the last general elections.

Meanwhile, the political battles have seen surge after surge of exposes. Not only have the opposition political parties – despite their ‘partnership’ quagmire and foul-ups, have been exposing the 1MDB scandals, but so have the Rulers’ Council issued a statement of serious concern.

Civil society flooded the streets in a sea of yellow to demand for Najib’s resignation and the resuscitation of civil liberties and clean governance. This was followed by a racism charged counter protest aimed at shoring up support for the Najib administration.

And now we have Tun Dr Mahathir and several senior big wigs of the Barisan Nasional party coalition holding a press conference condemning the Umno-fired arrest of two citizens under the terrorist Act, SOSMA.

The Bugis fleet of defenders has in subsequent waves started digging up more filth that was all the work of Umno leadership of the past.

One said that Tan Sri Muhiyuddin was the one who insisted that the Umno and its allies vote for the institution of the SOSMA Act.

Another has said that the Toll rate increase is because of past leadership grand plans that are now failing.

In a nutshell it can be safely concluded that 1MDB has done one great good and that is exposing how very wrong the Umno-led government of over five decades has all gone wrong and is miserably failing today.

How will this nation weed out the entangling mess of political failures?

For the political opponents, they might secretly plot the fall and annihilation of the Umno band and brand of politics. For the Umno die-hards, they would want to see a new Umno rise out of the imploding failures.

For the Bugis fleet and its paid loyalists, pushing onward come what may is just as perplexing and perilous.

Indeed Malaysia is sinking so fast into the political swamp of catastrophic failures that in the end there may be no winners. And the citizens of the country would be paying that huge price for their own apathetic and ‘tidak apa’ attitudes coddled over the decades of ‘semua nya okay’ mantras.

The cornerstone of strong, resilient and acceptable leadership has now become the country’s biggest liability in the face of the 1MDB scandals that have ripped open the hidden trash of the Umno-led government for the world to see.

And so as every passing day threatens the future of the millions of children, will Malaysia soon join the ranks of failed regimes and slip into the backwater economies as in the likes of some neighboring countries that are still after decades fighting corruption and scandals while their nation exports cheap labor to escape the abject poverty at home?

The seemingly courageous and determined central bank captain may think otherwise. But who will stop a second MDB from popping up in the near future? - MAILBAG