‘I love PM’ banners have resurfaced

Urm, perhaps it’s not so much that orang sayang Najib but rather ramai yang benci DAP.

The “I Love PM” paraphernalia is a sign that Umno has switched into election gear. BN’s campaign for GE14, needless to say, is buoyed by the increasing rift between PAS and Pakatan.

Kudos to Joceline Tan for her overview of our present political scenario — another sterling column from her today about how ‘Najib is in a bullish mood’. Since she seems to have covered the bases in her lengthy piece, permit me to tumpang on a smart analysis by the undeniable sifu.

BELOW: The J-Star’s Terengganu photograph illustrating how “the tide has turned”;  were the ‘I Love PM’ banners reprinted or merely recycled from GE13?

How strong is BN going into the election?

1. Joceline Tan (JT) writes about “a rather weird story going around that the Prime Minister will resign before the general election. According to the story, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will step aside for Datuk Hishammuddin Tun Hussein to take over. […]  how on earth did he (Salahudin Ayub) come up with this ridiculous story?”

JT is correct. Of course it is Najib – and no one else – who can lead BN into the battle royale. The stakes are too high for him to allow otherwise, kan?

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2. JT: “It seems like he (Salahudin) does not understand the hierarchical nature of Umno politics nor what power is all about.”

Helen Ang (HA):  Yup. Why in the world would Najib step aside, whether from his leadership of Umno or BN? The opposition rumour mill is really faulty. Only the wishful-thinking Pakatuns and Dapsters would lend any credence to such a silly story, duh.

JT: “Najib is a political animal […] People like him do not walk away from power just like that.”

HA:  Exactly.

JT: “But they seriously underestimated Najib’s survival instincts […] Stepping down is the last thing on Najib’s mind. Najib is preparing to go the distance, he has started to go on the attack mode”.

HA:  Sigh. Expect then the DAP to counter attack even more viciously than ever we have experienced before. They (including their Melayu 20k-hired guns) are ultrakiasu, remember?

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3. JT: “There has been an unmistakable turn-around in his political fortunes over the course of the last year. Some think it began after his productive trip to China where the Chinese leaders welcomed him like an old friend and he returned with an armful of investments.”

HA:  A sharp observation above by Joceline. I daresay she’s spot on about Najib feeling that he’d gotten a boost from his respectful – even warm – reception by the Chinese in Beijing.

However, it would also do well for Team Najib to be mindful wrt the unintended consequence of Tun Mahathir wedging that malicious rumour of an imminent China soft takeover — i.e. ownership of our domestic assets and infrastructure such as port, railway and new Johor cities.

Tun’s fear-mongering has taken the Chinese bogeyman ploy scarily to the edge.

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4. JT: “Najib gained a solid footing after a successful Umno general assembly. Everyone could see how the party, especially the three wings, rallied around him.”

HA:  Joceline is, of course, right to point out that Najib has a firm control over Umno. But at the same time, I feel this has led the Najib camp to appear over-confident. Never forget the adage, ‘Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched’.

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5. JT quoting Rahman Dahlan: “They wanted Najib to sort out the 1MDB issue but they did not want another crisis”.

HA:  Public sentiment still negative over 1MDB and this is one major strike against BN. Don’t reckon the issue can be mitigated as yet when election approaches.

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6. JT: “In hindsight, the RUU355 also turned out to be one of those things that happened for a reason. The government’s decision not to take over the RUU355 accomplished more than just resolving an issue that had divided the nation.”

HA:  Perhaps the 355 strategy did ultimately provide Umno with some political gains overall but it also comes at a high price for the country’s non-Muslims. BN did not adopt the bill only because of strong objections from Sarawak and consequently, the MCA’s melukut di tepi gantang ineffectual status is all but cemented.

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7. JT: “the Malaysian Indian Blueprint that was launched last week is a pivotal signal of his government’s commitment to the Indian community.”

HA:  Well and good on Najib’s part but Umno Muslim leaders rallying around preacher Zakir Naik’s cause will cost BN an amount of Hindu votes.

ABOVE: Bertindak, comprising more than 20 “Melayu Bangkit” NGOs, are challenging the 1.75 million Merdeka citizenships granted the non Malays

8. JT: “It is true that in the past, leaders made promises that were not kept but this document will hold the government accountable and form the basis for policies targeted at the community.”

HA:  This Indian blueprint will not convince the Hindraf segment … been there, done that. Hence how much of the Indian vote will decide to stay with BN has to be carefully factored.

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9. JT: “those who imagine PAS and Umno have an electoral pact going on, had better think again. The two parties will be going head-to-head in the Malay crescent states of Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah.”

HA:  Joceline is correct in her appraisal. In other words, PAS is kingmaker. It is DAP that brought about this escalating Islamization through its relentless bullying of PAS.

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10. JT: “Over in Jakarta, the Christian-Chinese candidate popularly known as Ahok lost in his bid for the Governor’s post. The racial and religious overtones that led to his defeat sent out chilling signals.”

HA:  Over in Jerusubang, don’t hope that the sneaky political Christianity of the DAP is in retreat. On the contrary, they’ve grown more ‘passive’-aggressive. Evangelistas berani buat, berani tanggung yah. -helenang