Singapore helps Najib in laundering his reputation

 

Every Malaysian is familiar with “ethics in life” and will not intentionally violate them. The dress code by government departments needed to maintain harmony.

– Cuepacs

Every day millions of Malaysians go about their lives. They earn a living, pay their taxes and grapple with the vagaries of life.

Some Malaysians commit crimes and suffer the consequences. Some are lucky with a good support network and they rehabilitate themselves and return to the mainstream of Malaysian life. This does not apply to the political elite in this country.

When the Singapore government chose to meet up with Najib Abdul Razak and chose to publicise such a meeting, it did more than just dishonour Malaysians.

What this meeting did was normalise the corruption and malfeasances of Umno and indicate that whatever connective tissue between the corruption of the Umno state and the entrepôt was not an aberration but rather a political calculation of mutual interests and political hegemony.

Keep in mind that the former prime minister is not merely a convicted criminal waiting on an appeal. He is a part of a cabal which is actively destabilising the public institutions of this country in an attempt to engineer a reversal of fortune.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, he is also mired in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, which at this time, nobody in the political establishment of this country – Pakatan Harapan, BN and Perikatan Nasional – wish to resolve. Keep in mind that Najib swore an oath that he did not have anything to do with this murder.

We are not merely talking about a disgraced former prime minister, we are talking about a cabal of political operatives and their proxies within the state security apparatus, the judiciary and the bureaucracy who are attempting to redefine democratic processes in this country to escape the consequences of their actions.

So when some folks talk about the ethics in life when it comes to dressing moderately, we have to ask, how do religious narratives come into play when it comes to Najib, corruption and how people reconcile the two.

Preacher Zakir Naik

Well, Zakir Naik claims that it is better to vote for corrupt Muslims over non-corrupt Muslims working with the kafirs (non-believers), citing the Quran.

The preacher further claims that it really does not matter if a non-corrupt Muslim leader provides a better existence. What is paramount is that Muslim unity trumps anything else.

Now, this is the dominant religious narrative in this country. Nearly every religious or political operative in this country who is facing some sanction from the state when it comes to corruption has sought shelter in this argument.

When Harapan leader Anwar Ibrahim holds talks with the operatives from Umno, it is because he knows that this religious narrative allows Malay uber alles political operatives enough leeway to function without having to deal with the consequences of their actions.

When Najib confidently struts around, he and his handlers understand that this particular religious narrative allows the convicted criminal an avenue to reshape the political terrain in this country.

And guess what, when the Singapore government through their foreign minister meets up with Najib, it also legitimises this particular religious narrative.

Debate with Anwar

At the moment Najib is attempting to launder his reputation. It is an old political game but one which is difficult to play. There are two ways that Najib is doing this.

The first way is by winning elections. Winning elections does a couple of things.

First, it gives the impression, rightly or wrongly, that Najib and his coterie are powerful within Umno but more importantly, they have the support of the voting public.

Secondly, it allows Najib and his cabal the ability to silence dissent within Umno.

As long as Najib and Co are on a winning streak, nobody is going to rock the Umno boat because control of the gravy train is in play.

This also emboldens corrupt operators within the system because they understand that there are no independent institutions which would sanction their behaviour.

The debate between Najib Abdul Razak and Anwar Ibrahim

The second way Najib launders his reputation is by normalising his presence in the political mainstream. This is why he is so keen on debating all and sundry.

He scored a coup when he debated Anwar, who is not only the leader of the opposition but his rival – supposedly – to the throne of Putrajaya.

This is why Najib wants to debate Lim Kit Siang, the grand old man of Malaysian politics and a totem of opposition politics in this country.

By debating them, even if he loses, what this does, especially in the international press, is provide optics of not only his ascension but his rehabilitation because nobody is going to be nuanced about this.

This is also why he craves the attention of international personalities and political operatives.

By sanctioning an appearance with the convicted former prime minister, what Singapore did was help Najib launder his reputation.

This further defines his credibility, not only within Umno but also within a certain section of the voting public who, perhaps, were uncomfortable with a convicted felon leading the charge in a general election.

While a certain section of the voting public may feel let down by this turn of events, I think the most important point here is that Najib was dressed decently when he met Singapore’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan (top photo).

Cuepacs should be relieved. - Mkini

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S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.