'Najib remains in power because M'sians are cowards'

Malaysians are cowards and do not have the will to oust Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, no matter how bad they perceive his administration to be, decries Amanah president Mohamad Sabu.

"We are all cowards," Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, berated to the crowd gathered to mark the first anniversary of former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's jailing in front of the Sungai Buloh Prison last night.

Today marks precisely one year since the PKR de-facto leader was sent to prison, after the Federal Court upheld the Court of Appeal decision overturning his acquittal by the High Court in the Sodomy II trial.

In his sarcastic broadside, Mat Sabu lamented how Najib would remain in power because of the inaction of Malaysians.

This is despite no matter how lame Malaysians perceived the men appointed by Najib into positions of power to be, and how unjust some may see his actions to be.

"We will still keep quiet, we have (loud) voices of men, but (demure) hearts like women's (suara jantan tapi hati betina)," he said.

And because Malaysians are cowards, he added, we, the people and the nation, have been left behind.

'How long are we going to stay like this?'

Mat Sabu said while Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar have celebrated successful political transformation, Malaysia is still stuck where it is.

"How long are we going to stay like this?

"We celebrate the downfall of others but our own (problematic leaders) won't fall because we are willing to be lied to," he said.

Despite the insults he hurled, the crowd cheered Mat Sabu on, and even agreed with him when called them cowards.

"You are all cowards, admit it!" he said, got a resounding "Yes".

Mat Sabu ended his speech by angrily calling on the people to rise up and make a difference.

"Cis! Let's rise up!" he shouted before throwing the microphone against the stage backdrop and walking off stage.

The beleaguered Najib has been dogged with scandals, again and again, facing increasing dissent not only from the opposition, but also from within his own party, Umno.

However, as pointed out by Mat Sabu, the prime minister continues to remain in power, despite mass public outcry and near open rebellion in the Malay party against him.

Najib and the buffer of warm bodies he keeps as ministers around him have repeatedly denied the claims of abuse of power and corruption, as they continue to tighten the screws against the media and those who speak up against Najib. -Mkini