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Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Najib’s stubborn resistance


I don’t know about you, but I have been very curious as to why Najib Abdul Razak keeps issuing statements and engaging in a war of words with the government led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
I would have guessed that his humiliating loss as the first Umno president to lead BN to a defeat would’ve sent him into a silent spell. I would have also guessed that a certain amount of former prime ministerial decorum of giving space to the new administration would apply.
My initial inference was that Najib was taking a slightly longer time to realise that the hatred against him was one of the reasons for BN-Umno’s defeat.
But I think this inference is too easy, and probably misguided. This is because Najib is no political novice. He has played the game of politics for 42 years - he knows his chess moves.
So I searched deeper, and I want to offer you my understanding of what Najib is really up to.
By issuing statement after statement, Najib is keeping his head above water (defence), while at the same time, distracting the present government (attack).
As for defence, it is quite self-explanatory. Najib is in survival mode.
The more statements he issues, the more likely he is to stay in the limelight.
And if he stays in the limelight long enough, there will be an illusion of legitimacy that gives him staying power. He is throwing everything out there to see if anything sticks.
But I’m more interested in explaining how he uses the statements in attacking mode to distract the present government.
The deception Najib employs here is to keep the present government on past issues, which are really the “wrong” issues.
While we accept that there must be transparency on the past regime and that justice must be served, the past will not be what matters most to the average voter.
Any political analyst worth his or her salt will agree that 1MDB was not what primarily led to the downfall of BN-Umno. Instead, voters chose Pakatan Harapan because of the high cost of living and unemployment, rather than the complex transactions of 1MDB and Jho Low.
Spite, anger, outrage
This will similarly be the case when voters go to the polls for GE15. Voters will consider whether the new government had substantially improved their lives, and not whether they have successfully pointed out enough faults of Najib’s regime.
Also, if Harapan politicians use “semua salah BN-Umno” for nearly every criticism against them, then they will be no different from Najib’s government. Voters will also grow restless and start to sift through the incompetent Harapan politicians.
It is understandable that there is gross resentment against the mess left behind by Najib and his seeming recalcitrance to repent. It is also understandable that anything on 1MDB now seems to be easy political brownie points, since they will surely make it to the headlines.
But Mahathir’s government and Harapan politicians must recognise that brownie points are only helpful when you’re in the opposition. The government is meant to focus on issues that actually improves people’s lives.
Second, by issuing statements, Najib also controls the psychology of his opponents. That is why it makes sense for Najib to issue statements that are oftentimes downright absurd - to incite spite, anger and outrage.
Najib knows that Harapan politicians who are less shrewd will take his comments personally and spend most of their energies replying to him.
They will rebut Najib’s claims in an “I’m right and you’re wrong” manner that is more fitting of an opposition leader contesting for power, rather than of a government which is already in power.
Politicians who are provoked would, at worst, make crude mistakes that threaten the government’s stability and credibility; at best, they unintentionally drift into irrelevant territories which they would spend days and weeks unnecessarily debating.
In the end, Najib knows that if he can control the psychology of Harapan politicians, he can also wait for his (in)glorious return.
None of the above, however, is saying that the present government is sitting on its hands - I actually think they are doing the best with what they have. But I am simply offering a cautionary message against Najib’s political tactics.
If we want to properly relegate Najib’s regime to the dustbin of history, then we ought to take heed of this. He is in survival mode, and he is intent on dragging the current regime down with him.
The 1MDB saga will likely carry on for months and years to come. If the Harapan government doesn’t keep a professional distance from the faults of the past government, I’m afraid that Harapan will not have enough to show for when GE15 beckons.
In the end, if we are only left with another national car project, unfulfilled promises from a burdensome manifesto and a few more censored words, then I fear Harapan won’t win another term.

JAMES CHAI works at a law firm. His voyage in life is made less lonely with a family of deep love, friends of good humour and teachers of selfless giving. This affirms his conviction in the common good of people: the better angels of our nature. He tweets at @JamesJSChai. - Mkini

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