The Romans had to choose between Caesar and Rome, remarked a veteran newsman, who claimed that Umno and BN are now faced with the same predicament.

The choice is between holding on to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and losing the administrative capital of Putrajaya in the next general election.

“For Umno and the BN, a change has to happen. If it does not happen, the situation can only get worse and the grand old coalition may finally succumb to old age,” warned A Kadir Jasin.

The former New Straits Times group editor-in-chief is regarded as the voice of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his latest blog posting is an open call for rebellion.

Premising his attack on the prime minister’s golf bungle amid raging floods in Malaysia, Kadir quoted the Malay adage sekali air bah, sekali pasir berubah (each time it floods, the sandbank would move).

“If that saying holds true, I believe the wave of change would only get stronger. Umno has to do something about its president and prime minister if it wants to stop the situation from getting worse. Like the sandbank, it could be swept away in the next general election.

“The big floods may be the watershed that we are hoping for. They may spell the beginning of the end of a mediocre leadership. That old Malay wisdom about the banjir (flood) and the pasir (sand) could have a literal meaning for Najib,” he said.

Unless Umno and BN have lost all sensibilities and bearings, Kadir said they would know that the future does not hold great promise for them.

“They can pretend and continue to be in a state of denial, but the record of the last few years does not speak well of their performance and their endearment to the rakyat.

“I am sorry to say this. Umno and BN can keep the PM and pretend that everything is fine, but they must accept the fact that the risk of them being chucked out in the next GE is immense,” he added.

Couldn't 'golf diplomacy' wait?

As for Pakatan Rakyat, the newsman said the three parties do not have to do much.

“They just need to keep their internal differences in check and stop washing dirty linen in public.

“If they stop quarreling about ideologies and stop being egotistical maniacs, they stand a good chance of keeping their 52 percent popular votes and probably get more in the coming polls,” he added.

As for Najib teeing off with US President Barack Obama in Hawaii when floods wreaked havoc in several states, Kadir ( right ) asked couldn’t the so-called “golf diplomacy” wait?

“Would Obama be fuming mad if Najib told him that he could not come because his country is suffering big floods?

“No matter how we look at the handling of the big floods in particular and the administration of the country in general, we have to be very clear that the buck stops with the prime minister.

“We cannot hope to have a motivated, committed and transparent civil service, the police, the military, and, above all, the populace, if the man at the top does not display the same motivation, commitment, and transparency.

“How many more disasters and tragedies do we need before we dare judge our government, our leaders and our prime minister and say, enough is enough?” he asked.

Kadir noted that the era of strong leaders like Mahathir, Abdul Razak, and Hussein Onn is over for Umno.

He said the survival of the party, for now, appears to rest on collective leadership, which Najib has failed to put together.

“This is because, from the start, he fashioned himself as a president, not a prime minister. He does things not in consultation with the party and the civil service.

“Instea,d he surrounds himself with presidential-type councils, committees, advisers, consultants, and special officers, many of whom are not government servants but have access to confidential materials and state secrets,” he added.