It was a good win for Najib

DAP has already accepted the election results. Time for Anwar to do so too.

COMMENT

Throughout Najib Tun Razak ‘s period as prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has loomed uncomfortably over Najib.

Mahathir is not shy about his perceived place as Umno’s numero uno – and he is not shy about reminding Najib and anybody else within earshot that he is the man.

He went so far as to say that if Najib did not do better that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, then Najib may be replaced – and it was clear to all who chose to read between the lines – that Mahathir will be doing the replacing.

And then there was that prickly matter of Mahathr being advisor to Perkasa. Mahathir had the audacity to suggest that Umno should not go against Ibrahim Ali in Pasir Mas, and for sure Mahathir had a hand in persuading Umno to endorse Zulkifli Nordin’s candidacy in Shah Alam.

You and I know that Zulkifli will lose in Shah Alam and Ibrahim Ali will lose in Pasir Mas because we can see the trees in spite of the forest. Mahathir, Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Nordin could not.

And if we can see it, so can Najib. But what did Najib do? He put Zulkifli as BN’s candidate in Shah Alam and granted Ibrahim Ali a supposedly free ride in Pasir Mas. We saw all this as Najib kowtowing to Mahathir.

But what better way for Najib to rid himself of Perkasa, Ibrahin Ali, Zulkifli Nordin and that mother of all problems to Umno and to Najib – Mahathir – in one swoop? And the results bear Najib out.

By the evening of May 5, Najib had not only buried Perkasa, Ibrahim and Zulkifli, but also Mahathir.

Pakatan will claim it as their victory but give Najib credit for making it happen. It was a win for Pakatan and a win for Najib.

The only casualties were the common enemies of Najib and all right thinking Malaysians – Perkasa, Mahathir, Ibrahim and Zulkifli.

Let’s also see who are the other casualties.

Ali Rustam? Who wants him to take a seat in cabinet after that eight-hour long marriage of the century he had for his son with 130,000 guests? Not you or me, not Pakatan Rakyat, and certainly not Najib. So out he goes. As they say genius has its limit, stupidity does not.

What of Muhyiddin Yassin? DAP showed that they could enter Johor and take one third of Johor away at will – it weakened Muhyiddin. He will have much to do in the coming days to shore up his defence not only in Johor but elsewhere within Umno as Umno’s political elites fall over each other to build bridges with Najib.

Now what comes next?

Simple, the next general election!

Can the Pakatan Rakyat coalition stay together even as DAP flexes its newly found muscles as the de facto head of the Pakatan coalition while PAS grapples with its recent losses?

The ultras in PAS will have a say in what happens and if the hereafter takes precedence over the here and now – PAS will look towards Umno again.

Anwar Ibrahim cannot wait for the 14th GE. His daughter Nurul Izzah can. The youth within Pakatan Rakyat can.

Nurul is the star of this election. Despite all attempts by BN to finish her off, she survived with breathtaking courage that is a rarity amongst Malaysian politicians.

She did not seek a safe refuge to fight her political battles. She just went on with job of being the MP for Lembah Pantai. No drums, no trumpets – only the grind and daily slog of looking after the common good of her electorate and her party.

It is time she and the next generation of leaders be given the opportunity to lead Pakatan into the 14th general election. It starts now. Let the young go and do what they have to do to give BN a run for their money in the 14th general election.

It is time for Anwar to let go. Najib is already sworn in as PM. Let Nurul start her tryst with destiny now. She will have the numbers and the support of enough of our people to do just that.

DAP has already accepted the election results. Time for Anwar to do so too.

CT Ali is a reformist who believes in Pakatan Rakyat’s ideologies. He is a FMT columnist.