NAJIB TO ANNOUNCE SUCCESSION PLAN IN AUGUST? Talk swirls after rumored meeting with Dr M in Japan

Dark days are in store for Prime Minister Najib Razak. Although there is no clarity yet if he or arch foe Dr Mahathir Mohamad is winning the tussle for control of Umno, Malaysia's ruling and largest political party, the rumor mill is working overtime and not to Najib's favor.

Speculation that has been simmering for a while now, has resurfaced after his recent working visit to Japan. Coincidentally or not, Mahathir was reportedly in Japan at the same time, ostensibly to have his eyes checked.

If true, the timing cannot be missed and it would be unwise to believe that the duo's presence in Japan at the same time was not planned and did not include talks whether directly or through intermediaries.

Also raising eyebrows is the sudden return of shadowy 1MDB figure, Jho Low, whom Mahathir has practically accused of cheating 1MDB of billions in cahoots with Najib's stepson Riza Aziz. Both the younger men have denied direct involvement in 1MDB but what is interesting is that Jho Low too returned to Kuala Lumpur on a Hong Kong carrier and his departure point was Japan.

Was any kind of deal knocked out? If there was, none of the parties are willing to open up on the outcome of what must surely have been a very heated meeting if indeed it took place. But the talk swirling in political circles is that Najib will announce a succession plan in August, whereby he will agree to pass over the baton sometime in early 2016.

Japan rendezvous?

It is not clear yet who the new Malaysian PM will be, but certainly Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is the favorite with Kelantan prince Tengku Razaleigh the dark horse. The whole 'succession plan' harks back to the one Najib himself knocked together for his predecessor Abdullah Badawi.

"At this point, it is just talk but the idea is there must be enough time for the new PM to get the Umno-BN machinery together to beat Pakatan Rakyat in the coming general election. The problem is, Najib might again withdraw. There is great pressure on him to fight on and you can see that from his counter-attacks against Dr M. Najib is now very vicious and aggressive. It could be his wife's (Rosmah Mansor) influence or his new public relations strategist Lim Kok Wing," said a political insider.

"But if Najib fails to keep to some sort of succession plan, then he is in big trouble, Umno is in big trouble, we are all in big trouble. There will be political chaos even if Mahathir backs off because Najib has no answers for the economic pressures on the populace. Either his party pulls him out or the people will."

No confidence vote still lurks & may be pushed through by Dr M if Najib stays stubborn

When he returned from Japan recently, Najib not only sealed better ties with the Land of the Rising Sun but also with the big economies of Asia such as China, India and Singapore. Besides this, he has, during his tenure as prime minister, enhanced bi-lateral ties with the United States, Britain and Australia.

Najib’s international track record is to aim big. But on home ground he is fighting for his political survival over a flurry of activities that suggest to Malaysians that he is not fit or competent to be the head of government any longer.

Currently, disconcerted moves are being made by UMNO, BN and Pakatan Rakyat led by Mahathir Mohammad to secure a parliamentary vote of ‘No Confidence” in the prime minister. Will Najib survive and carry on with business as usual?

Fractured attempts

If Mahathir is to spearhead moves to oust Najib, then it must be a concerted effort involving parliamentarians. But at present the moves to oust Najib are fractured and splintered and therefore it has been ineffective in achieving its objective.

The discontent and disappointment with Najib is being felt by many Malaysians and there are a slew of reasons why people think he is a failure as prime minister. It doesn’t help his image that his wife Rosmah is viewed by the ‘rakyat’ as being merely a mistress of spice who enjoys a lavish lifestyle.

This is why the backs of the Malaysian workforce have been flogged to keep the governing elite in this country sitting pretty and engaging in sinister activity such as the IMDB fiasco which proved to be the incident that opened a can of worms for Najib and Rosmah.

Najib’s cunning ploys

It is envisaged that Najib will not step down without a fight and he is preparing to pull out all the stops to make sure that he carries on in the role of prime minister. This means he will use whatever that’s available like the civil service and the Malay rulers to get to stay on.

But to the horror and fear of Malaysians, the mismanagement of 1MDB is creating serious repercussions in which the nation will go into travail and people suffer even more than now as the monetary system is on the verge of collapse due to much atrocities committed to the financial system of the country.

The finance ministry acting in cahoots with Bank Negara Malaysia, according to Mahathir, is spewing out lies and covering up Najib’s misdeeds and failings. This is a very serious allegation by Mahathir who further states that those involved should be punished with jail time as this is a criminal offence.

Worse is coming, as according to international economists who are monitoring Malaysia openly state that the country’s fundamentals have weakened considerably, which has been countered by Bank Negara who says that Malaysia’s national debt which is close to RM 600 billion is “moderate.”

This is why it is crucial and critical not only to get Najib out and salvage the country but to ensure the deadwood in government and Barisan Nasional are removed. The only way forward is a top down spring cleaning of the country’s administrative system.

The 1.6 million-strong civil service is plagued by red tape and growing bureaucracy that is a hindrance to greater economic growth. This is why most Malaysians loathe and hate having to deal with the authorities as they are often being pushed to grease the palms of officials to get things done.

Restoring public confidence

The mind set of most Malaysians of the BN government appear to be the same and the rakyat generally see and accept the fact that corruption has become a way of life. This should not be so and Malaysians should not give way to corruption.

Public perception of the government on corruption is at its lowest ebb and Malaysians generally feel that the 1MDB saga is actually the tip of the iceberg on mismanagement and corruption. They feel if there is a real and comprehensive audit done by the Public Accounts Committee and the Auditor-General’s office then many other civil servants will be hauled up for corruption and mismanagement.

This is why Malaysia is now fast becoming a basket case and therefore it is imperative that moves to oust Najib take on a more serious and determined manner so as to ensure that the government of this country will be free of the corrupt and the inept.

And the sooner this is done, the better will it be for the country in a free and fair 14th GE which needs to be called as soon as possible to give the mandate to forming a new government. But if Najib survives this crisis, Malaysia is set to go on to become a failed state. That’s for sure. - MAILBAG