“Walking Dead” – Is there a competition in Najib’s Cabinet as to which Minister could say the most stupid thing?

Just 12 days ago, the CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak warned those he described as “power people” against issuing stupid remarks amid the continuing decline in the value of the ringgit, which had plunged to levels unseen since the 1997 Asian Economic Crisis.

In an Instagram post, Nazir, who is also the brother to prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, urged the “power people”: “Accept & adjust quickly” as “capital is super sensitive; bad news & bad signs amplified” asking “power people” to avoid saying “stupid things”.

But instead of heeding Nazir’s advice, Najib’s “power people” have got even worse, increasing the stupidity, volume and velocity of their statements in the past 12 days that Malaysians are entitled to ask whether there is a competition in Najib’s Cabinet as to which Minister could say the most stupid things!

The velocity of “stupid things” uttered by Najib’s Ministers and “power people” have increased to notch more than one a day in the past 12 days – in fact to more than half-a-dozen a day in the past two days, as can be gleaned from the following headlines in the past 48 hours:

1.Minister: Malaysia will run out of PMs if Najib quits over graft allegations (MMO);

2. Guests should not criticise hosts, Ku Nan says after drubbing at anti-corruption conference (MMO);

3. Anti-corruption conference not right venue to talk about RM2.6b donation, minister tells TI president (MMO);

4. Fact that they took my statement proof MACC are fearless, minister says (MMO);

5. ‘People’s power’ to choose government only during elections, says Najib (TMI);

6. IACC critics were ‘possessed’, says Ku Nan (TMI);

7. Civil service serious in fighting graft, says chief secretary (TMI);

8. Minister blames poor Bersih signage for billing boo-boo (Mkini);

9. Zahid: Umno grassroots ‘poisoned’ to turn against Najib (Mkin);

10.MACC says faces no interference in PM probe (Mkini)

11. ‘There will be no IACC here if Putrajaya not against graft’ (Mkini);

12.Minister tells anti-graft meet there is God, mustn’t worry (Mkini);

13. MACC: M’sia critics at IACC may not have all facts (Mkini).

Malaysians must be thorougly shocked – at least 13 “stupid things” said by Najib’s “power people” in the past 48 hours – setting a world record of at least half a dozen a day!

No wonder, Malaysia is in such deep trouble.

The term “dead man walking” has been used twice in the past month, the first time by a Malaysian columnist in an international publication against Prime Minister Najib and the second time only today by a MCA Division Leader against the MCA leadership, both reminding Malaysians of the popular television series “The Walking Dead” – about the world of zombies and some humans who are even more dangerous than the zombies themselves.

It is time that Najib and his Cabinet return to the real world of Malaysians and not remain in the world of “walking dead” and “zombies”.

Najib should set the lead – stop the fatal “denial syndrome” which refuses to see any good either in the historic Bersih 4 overnight rally which have brought some half a million Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, age, gender or even politics to converge in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu to espouse a common cause of good governance and free, fair elections which transcends race or the 16th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) which brought 1,000 delegates from over 130 countries to Putrajaya to demand a zero-corruption Malaysia by calling for an end to impunity and answers to the two mega financial scandals in Malaysia – the RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” financial scandals.

The Cabinet on Wednesday should craft constructive and positive responses to both Bersih 4 and 16th IACC and stop its “Walking Dead” responses.

(Speech at the launching of new Chinese edition of 1978 book “Time Bombs in Malaysia” at Y Cube cafe, Johor Baru on Sunday, 6th September 2015 at 1 pm)