COMMENT It is interesting to read what Umno grassroots, representing 20 of the the party’s branches in Sepang , are saying when most of us have given up on the idea that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will ever be removed.

We see Najib’s presence as the current president of Umno as a bane for Barisan Nasional in the coming 14th general election.

On the ground, people I meet or talk to, are losing faith in the embattled prime minister and his cabinet ministers, as the country enters the economic doldrums. Even Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin realises that Umno cabinet ministers are making senseless remarks that irk the people.

Questions are being asked as the storm rages on: “Where are we heading as a nation? Why are things getting from bad to worse now? When will he (Najib) leave his office? Will he ever step down? Does he think that he is indispensable? Will the country go bust because of one man? Will this lead to further revolt?”

Hard to keep grassroots satisfied

At the moment, the Umno grassroots are still loyal to the party, by begging and urging Najib to leave the premier’s office, but how long can Umno grassroots’ dissatisfaction with Najib be contained? The answers are obvious.

Najib has forgotten that he cannot only satisfy the divisional leaders alone, although they are currently the reason why he still remains in power. The tougher he gets with the opposition and the voices of dissent, threatening them with sedition and other draconian laws, the greater will be the heat.

For example, Malaysia Chronicle ’s website has been blocked, and one of its editors Wong Choon Mei had been hauled up by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission for grilling on Monday. Do you think that the readers of the portal will not lash out, some 30 months down the road?

Although it may be contained for a while, like a pressure cooker, it will either ‘implode’ within, or ‘explode’ for all you know. I will not hesitate to say that even Umno will be facing a much bigger crisis in the next 12 months if things continue the way it is going now.

When the grassroots decide to even vote against Umno for once (which I think is about time, for Umno’s future sake), then, we will see what I have predicted as the next political earthquake, which will be far more powerful that the political tsunami that hit Malaysia during the 12th general election. People are waiting for a change. It will come with a strong vengeance, if Umno continues to be oblivious of the people’s voting sentiments.

The Anwar factor

With former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim being now an icon of political persecution, Najib’s administration will not enjoy the goodwill that the country used to enjoy with both the international community and the ordinary voters who are sympathetic with Anwar’s fate.

Should anything untoward happen to Anwar, while in prison, all accusatory fingers will be pointed to only one direction. The damage control would be nearly impossible, not only from his local sympathisers but the international community.

The BN should not underestimate the Anwar factor, which has resulted in two rounds of defeat, both in 1999 and 2008 election. It happens all within a span of 10 years. By 2018, it is another 10 years.

The discontentment with Najib’s administration appears to have escalated even more as the cost of living has also skyrocketed over the past one year. The property market is soft, the ringgit is in a free-fall, and businessmen are complaining that there is generally a slowdown in the market despite all the pep talks that the country’s economy is on the right track.

What is important to the ordinary man in the street is his disposable income, not a set of figures like the GDP and inflation rates that, they say, can be manipulated.

Scandals

As most people know, the mother of all scandals is the 1MDB. Whether here in Malaysia, or overseas, people are talking about the RM42 billion which, according to DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has ballooned to RM50 billion since the fall of the ringgit and possibly accumulation of interests.

No one really knows how much is involved but questions are certainly blowing in the wind. Along with this are the other 5W1H questions about the RM2.6 billion that went into the personal accounts of Najib, and another RM2 million that were banked into an account belonging to one Rosmah bte Mansor which the prime minister’s wife has not denied. There are simply no straight answers and the controversy has been going on far too long.

Besides the common questions being asked, my imagination goes wild with me now wondering if the money had been part of the billions that may have left the country since 1957?

Perhaps, the RM2.6 billion is just the interest or dividends earned and repatriated back to the country? Is this just a tip of the iceberg? Or, is there a possibility that the money is just part of a bigger war chest, that is being managed for investment purposes by certain ‘friendly’ and ‘princely’ Arabs.

More scandals or what?

When the 1MDB was exposed, it leaves Najib with little or no credibility to lead the government. They say that when the general is involved in a major scandal, the lower ranking corporals will not be afraid of being caught themselves.

For this reason, I notice a big difference between the times and era of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and now, Najib’s administration. In the past, the old man himself would instruct his ministers to look into the people’s problems, but now? Does Najib even bother about the issues being raised by the people?

For example, recently, I wrote to the mayor of Ipoh city, Zamri Man, on allegations made by residents that land clearing activities near Permai Lakeview apartments and the Havens Resort Tambun may have encroached into the forest reserve. But the Ipoh City Council has not even responded despite the email being sent twice to Zamri. This is poor media and public relations.

Unlike Dr Mahathir’s time, response would be assured the moment the enquiry is put in writing, or when it is whipped up in the state assembly or parliament, now, even the mayor is not responding. Meanwhile, land clearing activities continue on, although residents are concerned about Ipoh’s greenbelt bordering the Tambun municipality. Once gone, the flora and fauna may be affected.

Answers, too, are not forthcoming from the mayor’s office. This is what is happening on the ground, when it is also happening at the top. When the media gets involved in a controversy like this, we are automatically accused of spreading false information, and the Little Napoleons claim that we are bring disrepute to the administration.

Meanwhile, one scandal after another is exposed by the opposition, and the people involved or being accused, hardly blink the eyes any more. They blame others when people lose faith in their administration and seek redress in the courts.

But the problem is that there is a lack of transparency in the rank and file, which leaves the ordinary people in a state of helplessness. In a case which I am becoming familiar with now, for example, the Permai Lakeview joint management body had to resort to the courts to stop a multi-storey project next to their apartments.

Its spokesperson, Kent Foo, said that residents fear they will be losing the forest reserve next to the Haven Resorts, which is currently the main attraction to tourists and property purchasers. This is only at Foo’s level as a resident.

Meanwhile, when the DAP’s whip Ngeh Koo Ham dished out the question about some 10,000 acres of land being assigned to MBInc, instead of answering the question with facts, and more transparency, the politicking is currently happening in the Perak state assembly .

Will the menteri besar, for example, provide the evidence in the state assembly to show that every acre of land being transferred to MBInc has gone through proper procedures passing the test of transparency?

Else, what do you think the people will do when it comes to the next opportunity for payback?

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.