Seven shades of fear

Everyone at the Umno General Assembly was afraid of something.

COMMENT

The greatest show on earth, which went on for five days, is over. But the plain truth is that the  2015 Umno-Baru General Assembly was over before it even began.

Najib did everything that was expected of him. As would the CEO of a company, he sought to contain threats to his leadership, his company image and his most successful product.

If there was one word that would fit with all the goings on before, during and after the assembly, that word would be “fear.”

There are at least seven shades of fear:

1. Najib’s critics, especially Mahathir Mohamad, Muhyiddin Yassin and Shafie Apdal, have their own reasons to be afraid. For instance, Mahathir has his legacy to protect.  

But despite being unable to make a significant impact at the assembly, Mahathir is still a force to be reckoned with, and both Muhyiddin and Shafie are from crucial states. Johor is the birthplace of Umno, and Sabah is a key to the party’s success at a general election.

Mahathir, Muhyiddin and Shafie may be down, but they are not out.  Najib fears that they may be plotting against him behind the scenes.

2. Even members of the pro-Najib camp suffer from the GST and toll hikes. Najib fears a backlash from the rising cost of living and finds it convenient to blame Mahathir for fare increases.

The delegates may want answers to the 1MDB scandal and the RM2.6 billion donation, which many say have contributed to the pressure on the ringgit and, by extension, on the cost of living. But no one dares to start the ball rolling by posing questions to the party president. If the top brass can sideline people like Mahathir and Muhyiddin, is it any wonder that no one wants to play the hero?

3. Dissatisfied party delegates have been told to leave and join the Opposition. The Umno-Baru members who demanded the resignation of the party president are to be expelled or suspended.

Junior politicians are sacked or disciplined as an example to the rest. The unwritten rule is “Behave or else!” Afraid for themselves, people keep quiet, despite their unease about crucial issues being ignored .

4. The party fears that dissent will spread. In a departure from the norm, it was decided, just before the start of the assembly, that only the president should speak at the finale. If there was nothing to fear, why break from tradition and bar the deputy president and the three vice-presidents from making concluding remarks?

Najib is afraid that in-fighting will destroy Umno-Baru; hence the “gentlemanly” gesture of shaking hands with Muhyiddin.

5. The core of Umno-Baru supporters are aware that there are issues that remain unresolved. But who will be brave enough to demand explanations from Najib? No division head is willing to risk the empire that he has carefully built-up over the years, especially with others waiting in the wings.

6. Umno-Baru is aware of its precarious position, something which Mahathir has alluded to many times. The Opposition may look divided, but voters are fickle. They may be fed-up with the economic situation, the divisions in society and the cost of living, and just vote in the Opposition to teach Barisan Nasional a lesson.

That is why the DAP, the strongest of the three Opposition parties, has been singled out for criticism.

Umno-Baru politicians have claimed that DAP would let the Malays lag behind in development, sell the country to foreigners, reject Islam and abolish the institution of Malay rulers. Umno is afraid for its future; hence the talk about blood being spilt.

7. Umno-Baru and PAS were once sworn enemies. Today, there is talk of PAS and Umno-Baru teaming up “to protect Malay interests and Islam.”

PAS is afraid of losing its influence, especially with conservative leaders at the helm. Umno-Baru is afraid of losing the Malay vote.

The fear felt during the assembly manifests itself in many ways. There is no one  who is not afraid. Just about everyone is fearful, for himself and his party. Sadly, no one placed the nation’s interest above all other interests.

The rakyat fears for the country’s future and the divided Malaysia that their children will inherit.

Mariam Mokhtar is an FMT columnist