Najib’s chicken rice stunt puts PN to the test

 

From Clement Stanley

Former prime minister Najib Razak created quite a stir when he had a meal at a famous chicken rice shop in Kuala Lumpur.

Not for the dish but mainly for forgetting to register himself with MySejahtera and later, not just admitting his mistake, but apologising and volunteering to pay the fine.

Whether it was planned or not, as some have suggested, is irrelevant.

You have to hand it to Najib. He has provoked the Perikatan Nasional government by offering an apology and expressing a willingness to pay the fine, as stipulated by authorities.

It was a masterstroke by Najib, exposing the inefficiencies of the government and the system. He must have known just how upset the rakyat has been with the number of Cabinet members said to have broken the rules by crossing state borders to attend a wedding dinner.

They reportedly included the likes of Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Khairy Jamaluddin and Annuar Musa.

Najib would also have been aware of another Cabinet member, Zuraida Kamaruddin, and a “joy ride” cycling event which apparently went against social distancing rules, although the organisers have since denied this.

What was his agenda then when he visited the Chee Meng Chicken Rice Restaurant, with video coverage in tow, knowing very well it would go viral?

One fact remains: Najib apologised for his oversight and is now prepared to pay the fine that comes with breaking the rules.

In not so many words, it provokes the question: Will Annuar, Tengku Zafrul and Khairy be charged with any offence and made to pay a fine? They are being cornered by Najib for now and only time will tell what will happen.

But if this is the strategy chosen by Najib to embarrass the PN government and pile on the pressure, he is doing a remarkable job, not just in this instance but also in his tweets and FB postings in which he begs answers from the various government leaders and other politicians such as Lim Guan Eng.

I will have to say of Bossku, even if I am not a fan of his, this is one politician who is definitely not chicken-hearted!

Clement Stanley is an FMT reader

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.