BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
January 20, 2014
It doesn’t seem to be getting any better for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak after a week of being ridiculed for talking about falling vegetable prices amid rising living costs.
There is talk among the Umno elite of moves to push out the party president, who won more seats for the party but also lost more for Barisan Nasional (BN) in Election 2013. His men also swept the party elections last December but his position now looks shaky as dissent rises inside and outside Umno.
And yesterday, the boos were louder than the cheers when Najib presented the winner’s medal to badminton star Datuk Lee Chong Wei when won his 10th Malaysian Open singles title in Kuala Lumpur.
On the same day, the Umno-owned Berita Minggu carried an interview with Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir who expressed concern that the ruling BN might lose in the 14th general election if Putrajaya continued implementing unpopular decisions.
“Defeat is a real possibility if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak continues with his present policy of correct but unpopular decisions, especially issues concerning the rising cost of living.”
“If Putrajaya continues to ignore the rakyat’s grouses and complaints, Barisan Nasional will find the 14th general election a tough nut to crack,” the youngest son of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told the Malay daily which is controlled by Najib’s
appointees.
On Saturday, former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin (pic, right) gave the same line in a closed-door briefing at the Merbok Umno division meeting in Dewan Kismec in Sungai Petani, Kedah.
Sources said the former Merbok MP was a guest of honour at the briefing where he spoke about Putrajaya’s failure to control goods prices or review highway toll agreements to extend concessions rather than allow charges to rise.
It is learnt Daim also criticised the Cabinet’s failure to explain issues, the government for cutting subsidies rather than cutting expenses for things that did not appear to benefit the people, and ignoring the fact that higher civil service wages and allowances would influence prices.
Sources said Daim predicted that BN would lose the elections if it was held now, saying it continued to rule due to Malay support, but Putrajaya had spent more to attract the Chinese vote to no avail as the community would not support it.
Najib is following the wants of advisers to determine policies which will bring loss to the Malays, a source quoted Daim as saying.
“The conclusion is… the government under PM’s leadership is not effective and will cause BN to lose power in administering the country in the coming elections,” he added.
But there is no bunker mentality yet in Putrajaya over such criticisms although the Prime Minister understands that there is unhappiness against the government’s efficiency arm Pemandu and the use of consultants, with critics urging Najib to take charge of the situation.
The view from Putrajaya is essentially this: the so-called critics are among those who fleeced the country with their policies and shenanigans while in power, so why should the PM or the cabinet take them so seriously?
But there are some in Umno who want him to go, believing that the next election will be lost because of rising cost and drift in the country’s leadership. They want someone better to take charge, said a Putrajaya insider, but not many names have cropped up as yet.
“They want him out sooner than later, how, nobody knows,” said a businessman with links to the Umno elite.
“So we wait and see if the boos can snowball to something bigger or Najib stays the course,” he added. – January 20, 2014.
” .. BN would lose the elections if it was held now .. ”.
How true.
The non-Muslims will probably see to it that UMNO is dead and buried. There will probably be tsunamis and earthquakes in East Malaysia. UMNO will implode into a black hole never to emerge.
Nah! Mukriz will win & rule forever.
Unless dap can speed in attracting capable melayus to take over the party
Now we hear: POTONG, potong, POTONG
Sudah potong kah? Belum potong kah?
NO potong in prices, how 2 win GE14?
Mayb najis plans 2 use d humongous profit fr The Wolf of Wall Street 2 do charity – give away $$$ 2 M’sians hard hit by BARANG NAIK
The only thing going down in value is the ringgit. Yeh!!! Puji kerajaan. My savings diminish as well due to the hikes. Yehhh!! Puji kerajaan.
Those idiots like Noh Brain, I-bela-him are more interested to go for road shows informing people about their extremism rather than the rising cost and how to deal with it. I guess to these goons being a gangster is much more easier than a statesman.
What happened to the theory that their rural vote banks in Felda, Sabah and Sarawak is not affected so much by the price hikes as they grow their own food, don’t pay toll or high property taxes??
What is abundantly clear Mukhriz is self-serving while his PM, party and nation faces national crises. What is abundantly clear is that UMNO has little to offer while causing severe problems for most rakyat of Malaysia – THAT is a good reason why BN should lose the next GE, but will it?
Speaking of Sabah, Luke Rintod raised a very relevant timely point – WHAT HAPPENED THE RCI REPORT on illegal immigrants in Sabah?
All these unnecessary issues were raised by the ruling party to blindside Malaysians regarding the cost of living which has shot through the roof!
Malaysians should not let them relegate such matters to the back-burner.
Government must not burden the people because it can spend lavishly yet the whole country foot the bill ?
Before increase the prices, has it done all these?
Cut expenses, increase productivity (so many government servants are still unproductive, and no urgency to make it more need base & performance oriented), re-negotiate procurement contract.
If not , then how can they justify price increase?
How to govern when the govern fail to govern?