COMMENT Frankly, there is no difference between Senator Salleh Said Keruak and Culture and Tourism Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz or Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor. All three often allegedly shoot themselves in the foot and blame others for the negative image they created for Umno.

Joining their ranks now are Azalina Othman Said, Rahman Dahlan (another Sabahan) and occasionally, Sabri Ismail Yaakob.

Previously, we had Bung Moktar Radin from Umno Kinabatangan, but since last year, he is said to be ill. Now, what’s worse is that Salleh Said, also from Sabah Umno, is holding the post of a full cabinet minister in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s cabinet.

In his latest defence of Najib, Salleh believes that if the Parliament now passes a law to allow the practice of a referendum system , it would lead to the disintegration of Malaysia.

How ironic it is since he was a former chief minister of Sabah and is currently one of Najib’s men who are fiercely defending him.

He is absolutely right

To put it briefly, Salleh is absolutely right. He is giving away his self-doubt - not only does he believe that Najib would not survive the referendum, but that Sabah, Sarawak and Penang may call a referendum to separate themselves from Malaysia.

Personally, I do not think any of the states including Johor would urge secession if Najib were well-loved by the people.

Salleh, if he is honest about it, should just tell us that he himself no longer believes in the system and the leaders helming the nation. If he continues to mislead himself and the people, he would go down into history as one of those who betray the nation by telling us that the country is well-managed when it is not.

A country that is poorly administered will not only disintegrate - it will collapse! When the Titanic sank, many had to abandon the great ocean liner. The only man who stayed on was the English naval reserve officer, Captain Edward John Smith, who had proudly said that “even God himself couldn’t sink this ship”.

When the time came, Smith was said to have drowned in the ship’s wheelhouse, according to one survivor’s eyewitness account. Others said that Smith shot himself in the last minutes just before the sinking, but what we have today is the only iconic image which has remained of Smith till today and perpetuated by the movie that showed him drowning in the ship’s wheelhouse.

Bugis warriors no longer exist

Ever wondered why the Bugis warriors no longer exist yet Najib described himself as one who is not afraid to sail on? The Bugis warriors disappeared with time, and all that remains is a legacy, like the legend of Aladdin and the magic carpet which could fly.

Salleh should come to terms about why people are so angry with the current administration over the 1MDB scandal. Read the signs, and understand what the people are saying.

The people have become so angry that they are willing even to collaborate with former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, with the hope that Dr Mahathir would make amends to his old ways and help put this country on the correct path, before he leaves this world.

Look at the petition which was raised by one Cassandra Chung and within a few days had garnered over 5,000 signatures. Salleh can hereafter ban change.org, but I would do the same to urge my alma mater to strip Najib of the honorary doctorate that was given to him in the early 2000s.

Salleh should realise that the people are not stupid. The news are out there on both local and international news media about 1MDB and Najib’s scandals. Although blocked, Sarawak Report can still be accessed easily through Facebook, by just clicking on this link .

Coming back to my earlier comments, my question is, can Sabah Umno not produce any better politicians than Kinabatangan’s Bung Moktar and Kota Belud’s Abdul Rahman Dahlan? Or someone who is at least worth becoming the next prime minister of this country?

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