Turning to the Almighty as a last resort

Najib Abdul Razak seems to think that he has a very good chance of making a political comeback because he believes God is now on his side. The former prime minister feels vindicated when the Pakatan Harapan government fell from power after he turned to God.

God did not actually appear in his dreams or called him up to say his prayer has been answered. Najib simply took an oath last year asking for divine help.

It is a serious oath called "sumpah laknat". If you take this oath, it means you are asking God to curse you forever if you lied. At the same time, you are also imploring God to curse those who wrongly accused you.

Najib took the oath in reaction to the accusation that he had ordered the execution of the Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu. He considered his action as a "last weapon" to redeem his name, and he did it with a seemingly heavy heart mixed with dread as this was something you cannot fool around with.

When Harapan did indeed collapse, Najib now saw it as God's punishment for the wrong he had suffered. He implied that God took note of his oath and, therefore, he could safely assume that he is innocent of the heinous crime perpetrated on Altantuya. As a result, he is convinced that Harapan had paid dearly for making this slander.

Likewise, in February this year, he took the same oath in court when he denied receiving RM42 million in gratification from SRC International Sdn Bhd. A few days later in the same month, Harapan had collapsed. Presumably, in this case, too, Najib read the downfall of his enemies as a triumph of his innocence.

Like a devious politician that he is, Najib is interpreting all the ills that had befallen on Harapan as a sure sign that God has indeed exonerated him and, maybe, indicating to him that he can return to active politics.

Who is Najib fooling? Himself. Harapan fell not because God sided with Najib but because of the treacherous behaviour of some politicians who today are running and ruining the country. Najib played no small part in undermining Harapan and seeing the return of his rotten party to the national stage in a tenuous power-sharing arrangement.

God is not a politician, but He surely knows the crooked ways of politicians. He knows that most, if not all, politicians are scheming liars. Does Najib really think he can get away with all his alleged wrongdoings by playing the role of a holy man?

God as a last resort

Already, Najib is building on to his fantasies - the people want him back because they missed his "good era"; they still love him so much that if a general election is held today, he will be voted back to power; he is portraying himself as the real saviour, and he is relishing the prospect of seeing all his enemies suffer divine justice since God is his defender.

In his make-believe world, Najib fancies God will have a hand in his corruption trial - his name will be cleared and he can hit the campaign trail as a born-again politician. No one can stop this refurbished Bugis warrior anymore because all the angels in heaven are his in his camp.

Only Najib believes in his tale. His story of divine intervention may be a best-seller among the simple folk living in the rural heartland, but it certainly will not grip the attention of the general populace who have been following his wayward political conduct from the beginning.

Najib has dragged his name and that of the country through the mud with all the crimes he had allegedly committed while in public office. He even lost in the 2018 general election largely because of the scandals that swamped his administration.

Beseeching God to help him out of his trouble is not going to work. Najib should have sought spiritual guidance when he was the most powerful man in the country. He should have asked the Almighty to steer him clear of all the temptations that came in his path. He should have prayed on bended knees for good governance.

But Najib hurried to God as a last resort when he found himself in deep trouble. And he expects the Creator to save him. The writings on the wall are large and clear: you cannot erase your tainted record, you cannot fool the voters, and, most assuredly, you cannot deceive God.

---

PHLIP RODRIGUES is a retired journalist. - Mkini