Uncertainty over Najib's reform credentials

Reform has been an indivisible part of every politician’s spin since the general election in March, on the back of the strongest signals from voters that they will no longer settle for ‘same old, same old’ politics.

With the imminent departure of Umno president and premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, a hot question is whether premier-in-waiting Najib Abdul Razak will indeed be the great reformer that the nation awaits.

“You get the impression that Barisan Nasional (BN) as a collective since the general election debacle and Najib as part of that collective, acknowledges the importance of reform,” said Just World president Chandra Muzaffar (left) .

Chandra sees major challenges in the need to tackle corruption, abuse of power and the growing income gap especially among the urban population, which is struggling to make ends meet

“How much of their lives will improve or not will be impacted by national leadership, as clearly the present policies are not creating enough positive changes,” he said, noting that Najib has acknowledged the need for BN to reform itself to become more relevant to the people.

Chandra said those who have worked with Najib (right) have described him as a man who is not afraid to make unpopular decisions.

He himself sees the deputy premier as a product of the system and someone who will not be too tempted to initiate major changes.

A particular black mark was his role in the 1987 Umno Youth clamour for Malay rights which culminated in the Kampung Baru rally and threat against Chinese Malaysians. The tensions contributed to the Operasi Lalang crackdown under the Internal Security Act.

Chandra, who was among some 100 detainees then, said however that Najib seems to have changed, citing an instance when Najib addressed the MIC assembly earlier this year.

“He sounded knowledgeable about the struggles of the Indian Malaysian community and took a strong position in wanting to aid them,” said Chandra.

Transparency International Malaysia president Ramon Navaratnam was optimistic about Najib to a degree, characterising him as “a stronger personality (than Abdullah) and (who) is willing to displease western interests”.

He also said Najib will be able to rise above the narrow race- and religion-based politics, and that he will be inspired by the no-nonsense style of leadership of his father and second premier Abdul Razak Hussein.

“If he (Najib) does not do it (bring reform), he will be phasing himself out,” said Navaratnam.

Clampdown on dissent?

Centre for Public Policy Studies director Tricia Yeoh offered a mixed review of what Najib is likely to bring to the post.

“His reform intentions can be seen in his speeches for good governance, accountability, public sector leadership and better service delivery. However he will try still to move more power to the Umno leadership and return Malaysia to its glorious days of peace and stability,” she said.

Najib’s efforts to promote dialogue via his website and other Internet services like Twitter and Youtube is also making him accessible to the younger generation, Yeoh noted.

This, coupled with his reputation for being an efficient administrator, will make his tenure more high-performance driven.

“He will have put on the reform agenda and emphasise this, perhaps seeking to eventually move towards a more open society with less restrictions.”

Paradoxically, “it is likely that national security will be used more and more as a reason to clamp down harshly upon dissidents in cyberspace and elsewhere”.

She added that blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin (left) and other political prisoners are less likely to be released under Najib’s administration. There could also be a role for former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Human rights watchdog Suaram said there is little evidence that the situation will change under a new administration, as its leaders are all products of the same system.

“The question is, how much change or reform has occurred during his (time) as deputy prime minister? Not much... he is partially responsible for that,” said executive director Yap Swee Seng.

Suaram, which has been lobbying for the release of political detainees, is not hopeful that this will happen with the anticipated change of leadership - instead, there is a risk of things getting worse with Najib at the helm.

Women’s Aid Organisation executive director Ivy Josiah was noncommittal about changes at the top, explaining that it was irrelevant who becomes the prime minister.

“We expect him or her to ensure good governance and gender equality,” she said.