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Gift or Nightmare for Najib?

By Kee Thuan Chye
MSN Malaysia
7th March 2013

The ongoing Sabah crisis could turn out to be the gift Prime Minister Najib Razak was hoping for to help his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to victory at the impending general election, which he has yet to call, or a ticking bomb instead.

In rejecting the ceasefire proposed by the Sulu Sultan whose followers landed in Lahad Datu more than three weeks ago to reclaim Sabah as their ancestral homeland, Najib has scored much-needed positive points. Already, even his detractors have expressed support for his stand. They now declare that for once, he is saying something “sensible”, that they are agreeing with him “for the first time”.

Some, however, are saying this is “the only right thing” he has done during the whole crisis. Nonetheless, if he manages to pull off a decisive victory over the intruders, votes, especially from fence-sitters, might actually drop to BN.

But Najib has to do it before the general election has to be held, the absolute last date for which is June 28. If the crisis is not resolved before the general election, his ineffectiveness as prime minister would be exposed. He needs to win the conflict decisively, like Margaret Thatcher won the Falklands War in 1982 and went on to resuscitate her flagging popularity at the UK general election the following year. Continue reading “Gift or Nightmare for Najib?”

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33-Day Countdown to 13GE – Will Najib dissolve Parliament on 11th March at 11.11 am?

Two days ago, I was asked whether the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak would dissolve Parliament on 11th March at 11.11 am.

This reminds me of the “Six Ones” forecast two years ago, that Najib could dissolve Parliament on Nov. 11, 2011, which will have “6 1s”, as “11” is Najib’s favourite or even magic number.

But the “Six Ones” of “11.11.11” have come and gone, the years 2011 and 2012 have ended, and beginning today, the 12th Parliament has exceeded its natural life of five years making Najib in the eyes of many Malaysians an ‘illegitimate” Prime Minister, especially as Najib is the longest unelected Prime Minister without a mandate of his own for close to four long years!

Malaysia has made world history and gone into the Guinness Book of Records as a country which has been on general election-mode for close to four years since Najib replaced Tun Abdullah as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia on 3rd April 2009.

But Najib is still afraid to dissolve Parliament to face the electorate although he has only earned for himself a breathing space of another 49 days before the present Parliament is automatically dissolved on April 27 under the Constitution, without the need for the Prime Minister to ask the Yang di Pertuan Agong for a formal dissolution!

Najib has only himself to blame if he is generally regarded as an “illegitimate” Prime Minister who at best should be Caretaker Prime Minister leading a Caretaker Cabinet which should not make any major or substantive decisions whether concerning policy, appointments, contractual obligations or abuse and misuse of the public service, whether personnel, resources and public funds without consultation with the Opposition. Continue reading “33-Day Countdown to 13GE – Will Najib dissolve Parliament on 11th March at 11.11 am?”

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Debunk the Five Big Lies of UMNO/BN 13GE Campaign

Tonight, on the fifth anniversary of the “308 political tsunami” of March 8, 2008, I want to debunk the five Big Lies of the Umno/Barisan Nasional 13th General Elections campaign.

Lie No. 1 – that Malaysia will be bankrupt in five, three or even two years’ time (depending on which Umno/BN leader is telling the lie) if Pakatan Rakyat forms the Federal Government after the 13 GE.

Only a person with a very low IQ will make or believe such a lie.

Have the state governments of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan which are run by Pakatan Rakyat gone bankrupt after five years in the case of Penang, Selangor and Kedah and for over 22 years in the case of Kelantan?

If Pakatan Rakyat succeeds in the journey to Putrajaya in the 13GE, we want to be the Federal Government not just for one term, but also to be able to continue to get the national mandate to govern Malaysia in the 14th, 15th and future general elections.

The fastest way to end Pakatan Rakyat’s mandate to govern Malaysia is to lead the country to bankruptcy and economic ruin and this is the last thing that a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya will do.

In fact, a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya will prove that we can govern Malaysia better than Umno/Barisan Nasional, leading the country to new heights in national unity and harmony, good governance, international competitiveness and economic prosperity. Continue reading “Debunk the Five Big Lies of UMNO/BN 13GE Campaign”