All on board Titanic hearing funeral requiem?

RK AnandPublished: May 27, 2015 4:00 PM | Updated: May 27, 2015 9:46 PM

Malaysia is now in the embrace of bedlam as its politicians struggle to keep their heads above water.

On the ruling front, there is a prime minister who is drawing strength and wisdom from his salt-water soaked heritage. But unlike his seafaring forefathers, he is captaining the ill-fated Titanic.

Malaysia is now in the embrace of bedlam as its politicians struggle to keep their heads above water.

On the ruling front, there is a prime minister who is drawing strength and wisdom from his salt-water soaked heritage. But unlike his seafaring forefathers, he is captaining the ill-fated Titanic.

And what is the band playing? ' Nearer my God to Thee '?

With each sunrise, the hull is damaged by successive icebergs and Najib Abdul Razak is devoting all his time and effort to ensure the vessel remains afloat, albeit rickety and rachitic.

As for the nation, it is rudderless since the prime minister is more concerned about his political future while his cabinet suffers from sleepless nights.

The ministers are wondering if the 1MDB imbroglio which seems intent on drowning their boss, would also drag them to the Davy Jones Locker as the call for collective responsibility grows louder.

And should they survive this shipwreck, would the new prime minister institute a cabinet reshuffle and drop a few deadwood in the process?

Over the past weeks, there have been signs of ministers distancing themselves with the likes of Muhyiddin Yassin pinning the blame on the 1MDB top management and to a certain extent Najib for not listening to him.

The fact is - the firm was rotting right under their nostrils, but none chose to utter a word in protest until former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad stuck his nose into the maladour.

Mahathir warned that Umno would be defeated if Najib is allowed to remain at the top, but what transpired since then indicates that changing the steward would do little to reverse the political fortunes.

Due to the Tabung Haji and 1MDB land deal saga, Umno’s credibility is in the doldrums amongst the rural Malays, who are its traditional and diehard supporters.

Kit Siang warns of Pakatan's demise

On the opposition front, things are equally pungent.

Like Mahathir, Lim Kit Siang’s seasoned olfactory system has also picked up the stench of death with regard to Pakatan Rakyat, which is incidentally sailing on the Titanic as well.

The veteran has predicted that Pakatan would meet its demise in two weeks.

For DAP, there is only one man to blame for this conundrum - Abdul Hadi Awang and his inextinguishable zeal to pursue a divine agenda.

The argument is centred around the move to implement hudud laws in the PAS-controlled state of Kelantan.

The Muslims consider hudud as laws crafted by the hand of God, and therefore Hadi argues that those who oppose it - DAP included - would incur the wrath of the believers.

His supporters believe that implementing the will of the maker is more important than the will of the people who want to see the opposition bloc seize federal power.

DAP too had erred when it rained insults on the PAS president, thus forcing even those at odds with Hadi to come to his defence.

Over the last two general elections, Pakatan appeared to be the bright light at the end of a long and dark tunnel. But this has now been reduced to a flicker.

And now Malaysians, for the first time, are witnessing the simultaneous collapse on both ends of the political spectrum.

But there is still hope for the opposition to salvage itself.

Being a political infant compared to BN - which is testament to the adage that one cannot teach an old dog new tricks, it can still board a lifeboat, provided some of the trouble making crew are thrown overboard.

In the meantime, we can wager on who would sink first - Najib or Pakatan?