By M. Bakri Musa
Malaysiakini.com August 13, 2009
It is truly despicable that Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Muhyiddin would see fit to label the leader of the loyal opposition Anwar Ibrahim a traitor. I expect such infantile name calling and boorish behavior from the likes of UMNO Youth leaders and mainstream media editors, not from a DPM.
Muhyiddin has yet to learn that as DPM he is leader of all Malaysians, not just of UMNO and Barisan supporters. In mentality and behavior he remains a parochial UMNO politician, not a national leader. He has yet to make the necessary transition to being the occupant of the second highest office in the land, and literally a heartbeat away from being Prime Minister.
Muhyiddin is now clearly way over his head. His is the classic personification of the old Peter Principle, of someone finally rising to his level of incompetence. Not that he was particularly capable in his previous role as Agriculture Minister.
Muhyiddin as DPM does not necessarily alarm me except that our recent history has shown that even incompetent DPMs do ascend to the top post. Were Muhyyuddin to succeed likewise, it would truly be a horrifying prospect for Malaysia. As he has so clearly demonstrated, this character simply does not have what it takes to lead our great nation.
In calling Anwar a traitor to Malays, and ipso facto to Malaysia, Muhyiddin is treating the millions of Anwar supporters, Malays and non-Malays alike, also as traitors. In so doing Muhyiddin exacerbates the already deepening and increasingly dangerous polarization of Malaysians, especially Malays. This is no way to further the aspirations of “1Malaysia.”
Muhyiddin is clearly not ready for prime time, and he has not shown that he will ever be. With the economy tanking and the escalating health threat from the H1N1 influenza, I would have thought he would have his hands full helping Prime Minister Najib Razak. More specifically, as Education Minister he has enough on his plate in rescuing our pathetic national schools. If he has been diligent in attending to his official duties he would have little time to indulge in such infantile behaviors.
As DPM and also the minister in charge of education Muhyiddin has all the opportunities to rise to the occasion and prove himself a hero. Instead, unable or incompetent to deal with the myriad pressing problems, he resorts to ugly name calling.
If Muhyiddin truly believes that Anwar is a traitor, and thus a threat to the nation, then he (Muhyiddin) should act on his conviction. There are enough statutes on the books to deal with traitors. That Muhyiddin is satisfied only with name calling shows the true character of the man and the silliness of the charge.
Part of A Greater Problem
Alas Muhyiddin is only part of a much greater problem, and that is the pathetic lack of talent in UMNO, and thus the government. The party’s top leaders are knaves rather than heroes.
As non-Malays still see UMNO as representing Malays, many would not unreasonably conclude that the Malay race itself lacks talent, and that we are essentially a community of dumbbells. Consequently no amount of special privileges, enhanced opportunities, and molly coddling would or could change that reality. That is the scary and destructive part. More pertinently, that hurts – deeply.
One cannot really fault these non-Malays for their erroneous conclusion. After all, hardly a day goes by without us hearing something silly coming from these senior UMNO leaders. A few days ago there was Information Minister Rais Yatim wanting to censor the Internet. A few months back there was his predecessor Zainuddin Maidin foaming at the mouth eager to demonstrate his utter stupidity in front of a worldwide Al-Jazeera audience by complaining about those ‘traitorous’ HINDRAF demonstrators and defending the abusive behaviors of the police.
I yearn to hear something sensible emanating from our top leaders.
In my earlier book The Malay Dilemma Revisited, I suggested that then Prime Minister Mahathir revamp UMNO’s top leadership by totally bypassing the next (now the current) generation of leaders as represented by Muhyiddin Yassin, Rais Yatim, and Zainuddin Maidin.
Mahathir then was (and perhaps still is) the only UMNO leader capable of undertaking such a massive transformation of his party. Had he done that, he would have spared the nation the agony of half a decade of wasted opportunities under the inept Abdullah Badawi, Mahathir’s chosen successor.
Worse, the nightmare continues, to haunt not only Mahathir but more significantly, Malaysia. For succeeding Abdullah was the equally inept though more polished Najib. Compounding that, we now have the specter of a moronic Muhyiddin taking over after Najib.
Mahathir is today pathetically reduced to a cranky old man continually bitching on the sideline on the fate of his party and country. And if I may add, ineffectually too! Mahathir’s recent passionate calls for not abandoning the teaching of science and mathematics in English were essentially ignored by Muhyiddin and the cabinet. Mahathir’s success in bringing down Abdullah was an aberration, contributed greatly by Abdullah’s own spectacular ineptness.
With Najib and Muhyiddin however, we have a pair of rapacious politicians not at all shy in abusing the powers of the state to silence their critics. The only difference between the two is that Najib is more polished and thus presents a seemingly more sophisticated image, while Muhyiddin’s brute utterances only reinforce his thuggish looks.
With Muhyiddin set to succeed Najib, and tired characters like Rais Yatim, Hishamuddin and Nazri Aziz permanently ensconced in the cabinet, the future for Malaysia is bleak.
UMNO is incapable of self-renewal. The party’s upcoming October General Assembly purportedly to revamp its constitution will not alter anything. Increasing the number of delegates to select the top leaders, one of the proposed changes, will only result in more sharing the loot. As they all have the same insatiable appetite for avarice, ‘money politics,’ UMNO’s notorious euphemism for corruption, would only expand.
There is no reason for Malaysians to remain fatalistic and meekly accept such a fate. We are a democracy; citizens have the power to change their government, and thus alter the fate of our nation. So come the next election throw these bums out, the whole lot of them.
Once these characters are out of power, watch them resort to ugly name calling. At least then those tirades would be directed at their fellow UMNO leaders. They deserve that, and each other. That is the fate of knaves.
To the senile Pak Jib, all who side with umno are heroes and all those who support PR, such as the late Teoh BH, are traitors.
However, the reverse will be the case when PR wins the 13 GE.
You have to ask really why UMNO have such mediocre people. After all when you look around, there are plenty of bright intelligent Malays now.. Why do the smart ones don’t even show up. Even KJ, not brilliant but still relatively brighter than most UMNO leaders, is really a has-been..
Look at PAS and even PKR – its actually do have quite bright people rising to the top/near the top. But those of UMNO the really smart ones only want to make money and don’t run for office..
The answer is UMNO went to far and is not changing fast enough to move towared meritocracy even among Malays..Everything is short-term politics.. Not enough is being put towards thinking about attracting the party to smart people. An unmeritocratic system encourages inbreeding politically. The not so smart trust and partner with the dumb ones too, more often dumber than him..It really is inbreeding..
I have to ask why LKS is not asking how come its so easy for Ong Tee Keat to say he will pay US$40K (RM150K) for a few private flights? Its like 70% of his supposed annual income…So easy? You want people to believe you had intend to pay for it all along? You want people to believe its not a cover up? Please lah.. My Ah Kong also not as stupid as you are implying…
The Webster’s Dictionary defines “traitor” as “a person who betrays his or her country, cause, friends, etc.; one guilty of treason or treachery.”
In calling Anwar a traitor to Malays, Muhyiddin is sabotaging Najib’s 1Malaysia. Who then is the traitor if by traitor, we mean a person who betray his party’s cause? But truth be said, he is gunning for the No. 1 post. In other words, Muhyiddin, while being deputy to Najib, is a traitor to his boss.
“His is the classic personification of the old Peter Principle, of someone finally rising to his level of incompetence. Not that he was particularly capable in his previous role as Agriculture Minister.”
I beg to differ. I think the post of Deputy Prime Minister fits Muhyiddin hand to glove. John Adams, the first Vice President of the United States, described his post as “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived.” And so also the post of Deputy Prime Minister… a job with no job function, except when the Prime Minister is overseas.
The true traitors of this country are those who sabotage democracy, engage in corruption, abuse of power, gerrymandering, vote-buying, vote-rigging, etc, etc. And they should be charged for treason.
Awwww, if what I say is true, we don’t have enough prisons in this country to house all of them, LOL.
Former Chilean President Salvador Allende also did not have enough prisons in his country to house all the “traitors” after his 1971 coup, so he had them dropped into the Atlantic Ocean. And the occupying Russians used to drop their Afghan prisoners from helicopters onto the ground below.
Wow,fighting for democracy,freedom and interest of the people is considered as traittorous .This guy must be out of his mind. Now please tell us Mr.deputy prime minister,what do you consider your friends in Umno/Bn who cheated,swindled and raped the people’s wealth ?
dpm
Who say fringe benefit is cheat, swindle and rape the people’s wealth. Say properly, okay, otherwise I put you under ISA!
“Mahathir is today pathetically reduced to a cranky old man continually bitching on the sideline on the fate of his party and country.”
Well, well, as Edmund Burke says: “Those who have been once intoxicated with power and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never can willingly abandon it. They may be distressed in the midst of all their power, but they will never look to anything but power for their relief.”
“UMNO is incapable of self-renewal.”
Quick someone. Seize upon this opportunity. Sell to umno grape seed extract anti-oxidant tablets. They are good for cells/tissues renewal. Make sure you guys secure a 50yr contract for 50billion ringgit.
Hey ekompute,isa me,better still isa all those crooks who steal our money.But we agreed right ,not to take an eye for an eye policy when you become PM and I your machai .Regarding your comment on tdm,well I think we should leave the old toothless tiger alone to rest .After all what can an old weak and toothless tiger do to you ?
With limited brain-stuff, the cow will continue to eat grass until PR takes over.
He contracted mad-cow disease after serving as agriculture minister.
“It is truly despicable that Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Muhyiddin would see fit to label the leader of the loyal opposition Anwar Ibrahim a traitor. I expect such infantile name calling and boorish behavior from the likes of UMNO Youth leaders and mainstream media editors, not from a DPM.”
The name calling is interesting. We find it despicable but then we say YES!!!! To MPs who call the PM MURDERER in Parliament when the MP does not have a shred of evidence? This is what I mean, at the end of the day, its all ANIMAL FARM. This is really funny …
Traitors in the Malaysian political scenario are those who for the sake of their own monetary benefits and political entrenchment sell out the future of the coming generations of young Malaysians.
Traitors are the ones who come up with the failed education system which keeps the majority of our youngsters with one hand tied behind their backs in this competitive environment.
Traitors are the one who use their political positions to rob the people of their monies without batting an eye.
Traitors are the one who raise racial sentiments to win popularity, causing disharmony without any sense of regret.
Traitors are those who abuse their official positions to twist religious teachings to confuse the people so as to achieve their own ends.
Traitors are those in power who abuse the government machineries to intimidate and subjugate the people.
Traitors are those who have been elected by the people but who turn around and lie to the people with straight faces.
To those in power, if any of the above descriptions fit you, you know who you are!
I think China is good … for those interesting people we have in politics, i.e. those who obtain a quick financial gain, its a bullet to the back of the head when they are found guilty. That’s a nice way …