Najib's legacy: Does he even have one to leave to Malaysia or to Umno?

Many Malaysians see the end of the 1970s or the early 1980s as the point when an era of integration gave way to a prolonged period of deliberate fragmentation. Others may not agree on the dates, but there is no doubt that Malaysian society has changed for the worse.

When a country is fragmented, communities blistered and split apart by poverty, political instability, social and financial insecurity, it is tough to feel a sense of community. Thus the most valuable legacy that any leader could ever leave behind for a nation is a spirit of unity, in every sense of the word which is more than any worldly or physical thing.

Failed to unite both Malaysia and UMNO

Japan is one country that has shown resilience due to the unity of its society, which enables the nation to be strong and stable despite the many changes in the government, even amid soft economic conditions including being hit by natural disasters such as the recent nuclear meltdown at Fukushima. The same sense of unity and strength can be seen in the USA and most of the developed nations in Europe and this gives them the security to maintain democratic freedoms and rights.

Sad to say, despite the 1Malaysia slogan, Prime Minister Najib Razak has failed to unite Malaysians as he has also failed to unite his own UMNO party. It is unity that breeds pride, patriotism and harmony. It also makes one really love one’s country and be willing to sacrifice for it. It is no point to try to make the Malays love each other and hate the rest of the races, which is the current misguided goal pursued since former premier Mahathir Mohamad gained the upper-hand in UMNO politics. I

t doesn't make sense and intuitively, the Malays can sense this is a sin, not a universal good value such as kindness and sharing. A true sense of belonging must thus permeate in all who live in the nation but to Najib and UMNO, this seems to be last of their concerns. So blinded are they that they do not recognize unity has a huge financial value and makes the country a great investment draw. Indeed, it is like a marriage between two people, to be together in good times and hard times. People like to visit a happy home and stay away from a quarrelsome one.

Let us look at what Najib has done so far, or if he has done anything at all to make Malaysia a happy home.

Failed Political Transformation Program

Recently, the government-controlled Bernama news agency reported Najib as saying he wished to be remembered for his political transformation of the country. He said this was his legacy to Malaysians, encompassing the repeal of the ISA, Banishment Act 1959, a review of the Restricted Residence Act 1933, Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984 and Section 27 of Police Act 1967.

But how can Najib count this as his 'legacy'. Firstly, until now, the ISA is still in place and was imposed on thirteen individuals in Sabah even after the Sept 15 announcement of its repeal. The recently approved Assembly Bill he introduced in the name of 'freeing' Malaysians is more restrictive than the one in Burma which is controlled by a repressive military regime.

The repeal of all the declarations of Emergency is a non-issue as they have been of no use for decades and only a man lacking in achievements and grasping for straws would rush to grab credit for what is essentially formalizing the withdrawal of the long obsolete laws.

Failed Economic Transformation Program

If we look at the Economic Transformation Program embarked on by Najib, it is clear nothing much has been done to spur the economy and the result is more tax and more borrowing by the UMNO-led BN government to run the country. The ETP depends on foreign investments and it has been very difficult to lure foreign investors into Malaysia because of Najib's fork-tongue socio-political policies.

With Malaysia, already the 4th most corrupt nation, foreign investors are not keen to do business here. Investment from the local investor is even rarer. Moreover other countries have better offers for both the local and foreign investors.

Najib's grand vision to ensure that the Government-Linked Investment Companies (GLICs) and GLCs to contribute to the economy has also failed miserably because these companies do not have much money to invest as they have been managed by incompetent CEOs - most of whom are linked somehow to UMNO. Their responsibility and loyalty is only towards UMNO, thus their jobs are to ensure there are enough funds for UMNO and whatever extra money that they have is to bail out other losing GLCs ,like Petronas bailing out TNB.

Instead, with the present economic growth still lingering below 5% of GDP, and GLCs like MAS still incurring losses - perhaps as much as RM400 million in Q4 - Najib's initiatives are just empty slogans without substance.

Unmitigated corruption in doing business

Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim's visit to Japan clearly highlighted the predicament of foreign investors. The Japanese business community want to invest more in Malaysia but they are put off with having to pay so many bribes to so many people as asked during the previous Selangor state government under the leadership of UMNO's Khir Toyo.

Khalid had to assure them that they need not pay any extra and if they were asked to do so, to please see him personally. No such personal touches from Najib! The PM is not only doing nothing even after Malaysia was rated as fourth most corrupted country, chalking hundreds of billions in illicit outflows.

In fact, Najib may have given a tacit green light to all UMNO politicians to get contributions from whatever company they can for their activities confirmed by Awang Adek. This is pure and simple free-for-all corruption!

'Stealing' from the treasury is rampant as can be seen from the purchase of the useless Scorpene submarines, the Najib administration's approval to continue paying the thieves involved in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal despite knowing that it is a money-making scheme approved by the Mahathir Mohamad administration.

Neither has Najib taken anybody to task in the overspending and breach of procedures as reported by the Auditor-General for 2010.Even in the RM250 million Shahrizat Jalil NFC debacle, the real culprits are not being punished. Only some 'scapegoats' who are not related to the NFC are being grilled, while the culprits are free and some even managed to buy condos and operate expensive restaurants.

Continuous instigation of racial and religious tensions

Nobody has really been punished for the “cow head” incident, whereby UMNO intentionally insulted the Hindus to 'prove' that they would defend the Malays in Selangor against alleged encroachment by other faiths, and then tried to put the blame on PAS.

The raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church has further scarred already souring Muslim-Christian ties. Have the churches that were torched by vandals in 2010 been properly compensated? Has there been any effort to reconcile these two communities? The answer is zilch, nothing and zero. It is due to the maturity of the followers, the clerics and the priests that violence has not erupted so far. Najib has done nothing to douse the flame - in fact, he has been accused of being one of the prime movers behind the 2010 Molotov cocktail attack on several churches throughout the country.

Malay Muslims in particular have been in the news of late for abandoning babies born out of wedlock; Mat Rempits continue to menace the roads and there is an ever increasing army of drug addicts among the Malays; corruption among the civil servants, the majority of whom are also Malays, remains rampant and is also on the rise!

UMNO will always argue that they have built many mosques and Islamic institutions and Malaysia has an advanced Islamic banking system but they refuse to recognize the problems facing the Malay Muslims are spiritual and no mosque no matter how big, grand and beautiful can fill the emptiness in their souls!

So what is Najib doing about all this? Is there anything in his legacy for the Malays, even if he has done nothing for the other races? Sad to say, Najib has not lifted a finger. So how can he hope to claim the title of Father of Transformation?

Malaysia Chronicle