COMMENT In one of the 'Transformers' movies, there is an exchange between the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime and arch villain Megatron, who heads the Decepticons.

                                   

Optimus: You destroy everything you touch.

 

Megatron: Because everything I touch is food for my hunger. My hunger for power!

 

In Malaysia, there is a local variant in the form of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who came into power with grand promises of, yes, transformation.

 

Styling himself as a moderate and liberal leader, he initiated a raft of government initiatives with sophisticated acronyms designed to impress the casual observer, but which detractors claimed upon closer inspection, revealed a lack of substance.

 

These initiatives often included the term "transformation", which became synonymous with the sixth prime minister’s mission in office.

 

Six years have passed since the reins were placed in his hands but it appears that instead of progressing, Malaysia is regressing on multiple fronts.

 

Ironically, it is under the 1Malaysia sky that the nation has become most divided along racial and religious fault lines.

 

And it is amid the backdrop of a promise to widen the democratic space that the walls appear to be closing in.

 

To his credit, Najib did initially attempt to push the right buttons but this did not translate into votes and he was left red-faced after the last polls.

 

Despite all his courting, he had performed even worse than his immediate predecessor, who unlike Najib was not a 'transformer', but bore a striking resemblance to the character Rip van Winkle.

 

Since then, there has been talk of an attempt to get rid of him and this climaxed with the blog posting last week of another predecessor, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

 

Mahathir is cast in a different mould and if a fictional comparison is to be made, he would be none other than the Terminator himself.

 

He had ruled with an iron fist for more than two decades, which, among others, witnessed the mass incarceration of dissidents and castration of the media as well as other institutions crucial for our democracy.

 

In his quest to win over the hearts of Malaysians by undoing the abuses of the past, Najib disregarded the caution from the right-wing and dismantled the Internal Security Act (ISA), which served as an important tool in striking fear among the populace.

 

It appears that he now regrets this action.

 

Return of the ISA

 

Last year, the prime minister reneged on his promise to repeal the Sedition Act and instead revealed that the legislation would be fortified to ostensibly safeguard racial and religious sensitivities.

 

In the wee hours of the morning yesterday, the clock was stopped in Parliament to bulldoze the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota), which provides for detention without trial similar to the defunct ISA.

 

Granted that the threat posed by the Islamic State terror network is real, the government's track record has however raised concerns about the law being abused for political purposes.

 

As succinctly argued by the Human Rights Watch, the passing of Pota has "re-opened the Pandora's Box for politically motivated, abusive state actions that many thought was closed when the abusive ISA was revoked in 2012."

 

Following this, the amendments to the Sedition Act were tabled, which among others would remove the option of bail in some cases and impose a maximum jail term of 20 years.

 

Since Najib made the pledge to bolster this Act, scores have been arrested, sparking off concerns that tyranny has returned to Malaysian shores.

 

Armed with Pota and the amended Sedition Act, a wounded Najib seems to be on track to outclass Mahathir in dictatorship.

 

Malaysians could be witnessing the preview to the second installment of the Transformers saga, ‘Revenge of the Fallen’.

 

Given this, some have sarcastically argued that perhaps the soon-to-be nonagenarian, Mahathir, should return as prime minister since he appears to have seen the light on the importance of a corrupt-free government and free media.

 

After all, the former premier, who is often described as a megalomaniac, cannot seem to find a successor who could live up to his expectations.

 

So he might as well contest either in the upcoming Permatang Pauh or Rompin by-elections and make a comeback.

 

Failing which, Mahathir should consider joining the opposition where the top post is now vacant.

 

AK ANAND is a member of the Malaysiakini team.