One striking thing about Puteri Umno, as they glide in and out of the conference hall at the party’s general assembly, is that they remind us of a flock of flamingos.
The other striking thing is that once they open their mouths to speak, all doubt about them being intellectually challenged is removed.
In her policy speech at the general assembly, Puteri Umno chief Zahida Zarik Khan said that the convicted felon, Najib Abdul Razak, was like the legendary Malay hero, Hang Tuah, who was sorely missed only after he was gone.
She expressed sadness that Najib had been the victim of character assassination and that his detractors wanted to weaken Umno.
Zahida described the disgraced former PM as Umno’s “most effective weapon” who was forced to endure a never-ending barrage of personal attacks. She claimed that many were fearful of Najib and she praised his skill at toppling two prime ministers by simply using his Facebook account.
If Zahida harbours these daft views about Najib, then what does that say about the rest of the Puteri wing members?
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Her comments about Najib, the elections, social media, and politics have exposed the serious lack of talent in Umno. Her attitude and blind loyalty to Najib are probably two things she shares with her Puteri peers.
The disconnect in her thoughts, coupled with her failure to realise that Najib is a narcissist and a kleptocrat, is ample proof that Umno women will forever lag behind in politics.
They play second fiddle to the Umno men, fail to mention anything new or revolutionary, and cannot distinguish between right and wrong.
Living under a rock
Did Zahida have a news blackout? For three years we read about Najib’s numerous attempts at dodging his trials with sickness and delays.
Even after he had been sentenced, Najib was adamant that he did not receive a fair trial, claiming that he had been “arbitrarily detained” and would now like the United Nations to waste time and money deciding if he had been wronged.
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Zahida does not seem to be aware that she has been manipulated by the narcissistic Najib. He is an attention seeker, someone who only thinks about himself, and who is prepared to use others to further his aims.
Najib stole billions of taxpayers’ money, lied through his teeth, and persuaded his cabinet to support his fairytale.
Why is Zahida still defending the disgraced kleptocrat? Did she imagine that nine judges had been deceived into finding Najib guilty? Did she think that the three levels of court (High Court, Court of Appeal, and Federal Court) were sideshows?
In March last year, the Puteri chief urged the party leadership to allow her wing to be given the chance to challenge opposition parties in the 15th general election. She proudly boasted that her Puteri members and herself had “balls which were bigger than theirs”. Instead of the desired effect, she only attracted more ridicule.
So, who is the real Najib? Zahida described him as Hang Tuah, the hero who fell out with the Malacca sultan after he eloped with the ruler’s fiancée, then faked his own death before returning to kill his best friend, Jebat, who had run amok. Does anyone recognise the warrior in Najib?
Najib’s son, Nizar, described him as Malaysia’s Nelson Mandela. Nizar did not know that Mandela was a South African freedom fighter and activist who opposed apartheid and racial discrimination. On the other hand, his father and Umno supported Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy) and institutionalised racism. Najib is no Mandela.
Others wrongly describe Najib as Robin Hood. Perhaps, they are unfamiliar with this English legend, because Najib is no Robin Hood. Nottingham’s Robin Hood robbed the rich to give to the poor because England was ruled by an oppressive king.
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In sharp contrast, Najib robbed the rakyat to enrich himself, his spouse, and their cronies. It would be more appropriate to call the felon Najib a “Robbing Hood”.
Sinking further into delusion
The Puteri Umno chief is as delusional as her former boss. Both appear to live in denial and immerse themselves in the two-dimensional social media world. Zahida claimed that Umno lost GE15, because “they did not manage the war of perception, including allegations of dirty leaders”.
She said: “We lost because we were unable to fight the war of perception they were playing… and this is the time to organise our social media fighters and build a group of influencers who can change the thinking of young people…”
When will the Puteri group learn? Cybertroopers do not help the rakyat. They spread fake news, confuse, and distract the rakyat.
Zahida should learn to go back to basics, focus on morals, good governance, truth and justice, and work on helping the rakyat instead of helping themselves. Can’t she see that Umno leaders worship at the altar of money, with greed as their prime motivator?
Zahida’s general assembly policy speech was lacking in substance. Perhaps her views were not published in full but she failed to mention how the party could lift people out of the poverty trap and tackle the cost of living crisis.
Instead, much was mentioned about Umno members failing to defend their leaders.
Has she considered this? No one in their right mind would defend Umno leaders who are self-serving, lying, thieving, and corrupt. - 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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