It is a match made in heaven: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the jet-setting, career politician and anti-cartoonist, and Umno Baru, the party that claims to defend Malays and protect Islam.
Najib received his lucky break when he was propelled into the political limelight following the death of his father. The allegations surrounding his lack of degree are something of an urban myth.
A former bodyguard claimed that he could not bear to hear Najib's speeches when the latter was the MP for Pekan, because of his lack of fluency in Malay on his return from England.
Would Umno Baru have been less fractured if Najib had not had his lucky break in Pekan? Najib is here now because he was used, in the same way as he uses people today. The first of the seven deadly political sins, to which he fell victim, is greed. He is prepared to do what it takes to be accepted by the rakyat.
Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaking to The UK's Guardian newspaper in 2015 claimed that Najib had purportedly admitted that "cash is king".
Najib frequently boasts of his own importance. He does not want others to think ill of him. Only his party is capable of defending the Malays and protecting Islam. He even risked sending our troops to Jerusalem to defend the Palestinians. Proud people do not like to be told they are terrible, or wrong, because they secretly know this already.
Timid and fragile
At a gathering of American and Asean corporate leaders in Washington last September, Najib accused the opposition of sabotaging his administration, and accused them of blowing the 1MDB issue out of proportion in a failed attempt to topple his government.
The following month, he warned a gathering of 5,000 civil servants about the opposition's tactics and said, "Do you dare to gamble your children's and grandchildren's future in their hands?" (sic)
Najib is too proud to reverse what he has done, and he obviously has not heard the saying, "Pride goeth before political destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
Most politicians are driven, but Najib seems too timid and too fragile, and it is alleged that he is not the driving force behind his political leanings.
When the washed-up actor Mat Over slapped a member of the audience for asking a challenging question at the Transformasi Nasional (TN) 50 dialogue last May, Najib just grinned. He should have intervened, but did not.
Najib has been known to keep quiet about many issues. When the royals attacked the extreme mullahs for threatening national harmony, Najib said nothing. When Lahad Datu was invaded, there was no immediate reaction from him. He failed to appear at the "Nothing to Hide" forum. He refused to take part in debates with opposition leaders.
It's not that he is consumed by laziness. Perhaps he is just afraid.
He avoids tricky questions at press conferences, and simply walks out. He is afraid of doing something bold or saying something wrong. He rarely comments on controversial topics, but his Twitter feed is full of mundane comments, like praising the toilets at KLIA. He appears to be overcome by sloth.
Najib appears emotionally starved of the rakyat's affection, but at the same time, seems to be a glutton for power and control. Celebrities are loved by the public for their talents. What has Najib got? Would he get any votes, if he didn't have any means to seduce voters?
Mahathir is a champion of the rural Malays. The well-read PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim knows how to push the right buttons and connect with people. Najib has none of these talents.
Envious of the successes of his adversaries, he reacts by removing their influence. Anwar sits in jail, and Mahathir is treated like a common criminal who is interviewed by the police. The Inland Revenue Department investigates the affairs of his children and close friends, and his privileges as a former PM have been withdrawn.
Men in positions of power draw women like flies to cow pats. They attract women, not because of their likeable personalities, but many women treat them as mere "conquests". These men are vulnerable and lonely, so they lust over any woman who preys on them.
Genuine affection and acceptance is in short supply in the real world, and even more so when you are at the top of the political trash heap.
So who is stronger?
Najib has 1MDB and a coterie of loyal subordinates who are prepared to dance to his tune.
He has found a niche for himself, by tapping into the fears of the insecure Malays. He may have learnt this trick from his former sifu, Mahathir. At least Mahathir had some principles, with his "Look East" policy. Not Najib.
He acts like the proverbial man who is frequently unfaithful, while professing to swear his love for his wife. Najib likewise wants to be friends with both US President Donald Trump and Chinese premier Xi Jinping.
Najib and Umno-Baru enjoy a symbiotic relationship. They feed off each other, except Najib is easily replaceable.
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