If a man is known by the company he keeps, what does that say about a prime minister, whom the rakyat did not choose, who keeps on promoting the wrong people and who rewards failure?
On Sept 7, Ismail Sabri Yaakob told Malaysians in a Facebook post that he had had discussions with the convicted criminal Najib Abdul Razak, about the economic challenges faced and the various steps needed to fight the Coronavirus pandemic.
Ismail Sabri said, "Najib is committed to contributing time, energy and ideas as a team for the sake of Keluarga Malaysia.”
Does Ismail Sabri's version of Keluarga Malaysia equal a family of kleptocrats and traitors? Is it Keluarga Malaysia or Keluarga Umno-Baru?
A newly installed prime minister tries to do his best for his nation by introducing new ideas and nominating capable people to help him administer the country. Is Ismail Sabri incapable of running Malaysia without running to failed people to help him?
He recently appointed Muhyiddin Yassin to head the fight against the Coronavirus. Did Ismail Sabri forget that Muhyiddin is a failed PM, whose strategies to contain the spread of the virus were ineffective, that public dissatisfaction led to him being ousted? If that was not bad enough, Muhyiddin was then given ministerial status.
Next, Ismail Sabri appoints the felon Najib to help him with reviving the economy. This is the man who stole billions of ringgit from the taxpayers and almost bankrupted Malaysia.
Will Ismail Sabri make Najib a minister, too? Has he forgotten that Najib should be in jail, but he still roams free, until his appeal is finalised.
For Najib, it is not about the economy. It is about his own interests. For all we know, he is probably grooming Ismail to negotiate his freedom from his RM42 million SRC International corruption case.
With talk about jumpstarting the economy and curtailing the Coronavirus, he is creating in Ismail Sabri a sense of dependence and building a false sense of emotional security. All Najib is doing is controlling and manipulating people. There is also a touch of the "I help you, you help me."
Najib is devious. He has successfully used social media to create a new image for himself, to travel around Malaysia, and undermine Pakatan Harapan and attack its politicians and its policies. He is acting like an innocent man. Now he is priming Ismail Sabri to accept his help.
Since when was Najib concerned about the rakyat? It has always been about himself. Some of us wonder if the next thing on the cards is the royal pardon.
What's next on the agenda? Will Ismail Sabri be having discussions with Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who has a string of charges against him for money laundering, criminal breach of trust (CBT) and corruption, to help him run the country, too?
A few days ago, Zahid's lawyer claimed that he should be immune from prosecution because he cooperated with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Will this set a new precedent, when all those charged with CBT, money laundering and corruption, can claim immunity from prosecution if they cooperate with the MACC? Will no one who steals be found guilty?
It is clear that Ismail Sabri has no clue how to run the nation and does not care about the feelings of the rakyat towards corrupt politicians. Perhaps, it is time that Parliament initiates a no-confidence vote against him.
Malaysia is not short of talented people. It is true that many professionals have fled overseas because the government failed to recognise their abilities; but did Ismail Sabri have to stoop so low, and nominate people who betrayed the rakyat? Why bring further shame to the nation?
When Harapan won GE-14 in 2018, they offered Malaysians a vision of a country that was going to address corruption and tackle injustice. Unfortunately, some Malaysians did not understand that over five decades of injustice, corruption and discrimination could not be undone in a matter of months. They expected change overnight. That is an impossible task.
People were fed up with the scandals. Najib stealing taxpayers’ money. 1MDB. Rosmah Mansor’s bags and jewellery. The cronies. PAS and Umno-Baru’s unity government. Land that was sold cheaply to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Malays stealing from other Malays. Tabung Haji, Felda, Mara. Allegedly corrupt politicians like Adnan Mansor, Zahid Hamidi, to name a few.
Allegations of corruption in mosques. Wives and children of Umno-Baru/BN ministers forming companies to enrich themselves. So, it looks like Ismail Sabri is returning the nation to the status quo.
Malaysians do not forget easily. The more Ismail Sabri conspires with corrupt politicians to run the country, the more obvious it is to Malaysians, and especially the Malays, that the majority Malay government is not the saviour of the Malays nor the protector of Islam.
The Sheraton Move has been an eye-opener. - Mkini
MARIAM MOKHTAR is a defender of the truth, the admiral-general of the Green Bean Army and president of the Perak Liberation Organisation (PLO). Blog, Twitter.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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