The upsides of saying sorry

 

The last few weeks have been astounding, politics-wise. Crazy and unhinged in so many ways, even by Malaysian standards. Or perhaps I’m just overreading things as always and in all likelihood it’s just politics-as-usual for Malaysia.

Najib Razak, the convicted and imprisoned ex-prime minister, recently apologised for the massive 1MDB debacle under his administration. I didn’t quite read the full apology as I had thrown up when I read about it and had to be hospitalised to have my stomach pumped.

I don’t think he quite admitted to taking any money or profiting in any way from 1MDB. And the apology is not surprising, given that he has a big 1MDB trial coming up, and faces the possibility of many years of PFH (prison from home) if recent lawmaking efforts are any indication.

Since, presumably, he didn’t admit to profiting from 1MDB in any way, then the apology must be for his negligence, or perhaps incompetence, in letting bad things happen there under his watch.

Either way, that would be considered a bad thing for a prime minister in most countries that I know of.

On the positive side

But I can see the upsides to this matter too. First, this act of contrition is bound to play well with Malays. We love apologies and the act of apologising as it shows humility and vulnerability, stuff that social media says is good for the soul.

The other upside is that Najib will get to point fingers at others as being the really bad guys. The infamous but elusive Jho Low (if still alive) may get his day in court, even if only in absentia.

Let’s see how Jho Low tries to wriggle out of Najib’s defence of being completely incompetent or negligent or clueless to the machinations of the one who actually profited the most from the 1MDB theft.

Anyway, our current prime minister Anwar Ibrahim also made the news by accepting (or welcoming) the apology, presumably on behalf of the nation, or perhaps just his administration, or perhaps even just on behalf of himself, the nation’s Big Daddy.

It didn’t matter – back I went to the hospital to have my stomach pumped again. That wasn’t pleasant – almost as unpleasant as reading the news about the matter in the first place.

What’s next?

One thing I’ve learned is that in Malaysia if something walks like politics, quacks like politics and stinks like politics, then it’s probably Umno. I’m sure this drama is not coming out of the goodness of anybody’s heart, given that in politics you’re required to surrender your goodness and often your heart too.

Will we hear any earth-shaking revelations soon at the 1MDB trial? Such as perhaps a plea bargain where in return for apologising again in court, Najib would be let off easy with a slap on the hand?

You never know. Though with 33 million citizens waiting to slap his hands, they are bound to get a bit sore. All of those years in politics with people kissing his hands won’t help him here.

What’s the big deal about Umno and Najib, anyway? He’s been away for quite a while, safely tucked away in the Kajang Prison (or some five-star hotel, depending on where you get your news from) and seemingly no longer a political threat to anybody.

I’d imagine the current Umno leadership, who are his peers, would rather have him being a threat to them politically. Most of the time a politician would try to get his rival into jail, and not get him out of it (I’m looking at you, our prime ministers, present and past!). So, this is strange.

About the other half

In cases where a big powerful man is put out of action, by being jailed or on a more permanent absence, it has been the wife who forces herself into politics to free or avenge her husband – witness the cases of Corazon Aquino, Sonia Gandhi and even Anwar’s wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail

In Najib’s case, the chance of his wife Rosmah Mansor leading a campaign to seek his redemption so that they can live together happily ever after outside prison is quite remote, given the legal troubles Rosmah is facing herself.

The chances of them getting back together again inside a prison seems more realistic if you look at our justice process. However, those more knowledgeable of our political process may say perhaps that prospect itself is floating away into the horizon.

One half of this superhero pairing may be in prison and the other one out of it. As to which is which, I’d leave it to your fevered imagination to figure out. I don’t need another visit to the hospital to have my stomach pumped out.

Saviour complex

But the funny thing is that somehow Najib is still very popular, and in some segments, especially among the young Malays, has gained a mythic status akin to that of John F Kennedy, the assassinated US president – once you are out of the picture, you can do no wrong.

But I can’t understand why the many Mat and Minah Rempits out there see Najib, a member of the elite – perhaps the ultimate elite – as a hero and a saviour.

As the 1MDB trial will show at the very least that he’s incompetent or negligent, and if not, then actually a crook.

I am not that surprised; nothing in politics surprises me anymore. If you look at the US and the UK, their so fevered and wild politics, and their politicians, current or recent – so toxic or incompetent or racist or greedy – or all of those – you’d come to the same conclusion as I did: “Malaysia not so bad lah”.

To be fair, Najib was a pretty competent politician, with more brains than most current politicians, especially the religious extremist ones, put together. But power, especially continuous power, and a life of privilege from birth, is always likely to lead you astray.

Making connection

It’s possible Najib managed to connect with the younger Malays through smart social media outreach. I would, even if only begrudgingly, give him credit for that, as we can easily see the current lecturing and hectoring from the top doesn’t work so well.

Anyway, I feel a wave of nausea coming again, so I’d best lay off this topic. All I know is that if there’s some big political deal in the offing, and when all is revealed, it will be a case of Malaysia (still) Boleh once again.

So we wait with bated breath and some consternation about the fate of “BossKu” Najib, our former prime minister, and how it will affect Umno, Malaysia and especially “Big DaddyKu” Anwar, our current prime minister.

When that transpires, perhaps I’ll see some of you at the hospital, too. - FMT

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

Editor’s note: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was previously reported to have accepted Najib Razak’s apology, but the Prime Minister’s Office later clarified that the term “terima baik” used in his statement should have been interpreted as “welcome” instead of “accept”.