Is the captain still in charge? - Selena Tay

Muhyiddin Yassin, who is watching like a hawk, senses that the hour is at hand when he can deal a lethal blow to his boss.

The recent statement by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin that it is good to hold the 13th general election this year is an indication that Najib Tun Razak’s days as prime minister are numbered, commented PAS Bukit Gantang MP Nizar Jamaluddin.

Muhyiddin has already tipped his hand and displayed his intention because his statement is in stark contrast to Najib’s statement of wanting to finish his term as prime minister, which will only expire in April next year.

According to Nizar, it is clear that there are undercurrents in Umno as the warlords consider Najib a liability and may be attempting to oust him.

Najib wants to win big and in order to do that, he wants to be sure of obtaining support from the majority of the rakyat before he calls for the polls. Therefore, he is delaying the polls in order to woo more voters.

On the other hand, Muhyiddin, who is watching like a hawk, senses that the hour is at hand when he can deal a lethal blow to his boss. One cannot fault Muhyiddin for trying to seize the opportunity. And it is all due to Najib’s fickleness in regard to the polls date. Najib’s indecisiveness made him fail to call for the polls fast.

And that is why till to-date no one knows when the 13th general election will be held. Instead, Najib has announced that the Sedition Act will be replaced by the National Harmony Act. This is all a waste of time. Should just get rid of the Sedition Act. Fullstop. And get the economy going. Prices of foodstuffs are soaring. Especially fish.

The nation is bogged down by uncertainty as manufacturers, business owners and investors are in a quandary and financial planners are stuck as their projection has been put on hold.

Non-stop politicking

As the captain of the country, Najib has to be serious in steering the ship and stop toying around with the general election date. He should get it done and finish with it before Sept 28 when the budget will be presented.

“Perhaps he is afraid of dissolving Parliament because once he has dissolved it, he cannot undissolve it should he change his mind and this is what terrifies him the most,” opined Khalid Samad, the Shah Alam PAS MP.

That is so but as the leader of the nation, he has to be decisive and not launch and unlaunch things as what had happened in the Civil Servants New Remuneration Scheme and the MAS-AirAsia share swap deal.
There is much confusion for the citizens when the captain is unsure of himself. He lacks the ability to command due to his indecisiveness. But then if he is so indecisive, what about his advisers?

In the meantime, the Umno leaders are telling the Malays that if Pakatan Rakyat wins, DAP will be the powerhouse while MCA are telling the Chinese that if Pakatan wins, PAS will be the powerhouse. Umno and MCA leaders must think that the voters are pretty stupid for not comparing notes.

And as long as the polls are not called yet, it is 24-hours politicking orchestrated by BN and Pakatan has got no choice but to be dragged into the game. Actually it has been non-stop politicking since March 8, 2008. Never before has this happened in Malaysian political history.

This is the first time that this is happening because Najib is insecure and paranoid with the general election date which must be causing him sleepless nights.

Has he got the courage?

He must get to grips with the date as he has promised the rakyat that his transformation plans will serve as an impetus to spur the nation forward. He must chart the course of the nation but right now he is floundering about and, if one morning he has some bright idea on what sort of goodies he wants to give to the rakyat, he gets about doing it.

His whole plan is disjointed and lacks cohesion because it is all in bits and pieces. He is just playing by the ear and does not have the grand design of things in his vision. Is he adopting a wait-and-see attitude due to blur visualising?

And as long as this goes on, the ordinary rakyat will be blundering in the dark and suffering because of his indecision. It is high time he put himself and the rakyat out of this agony by calling for the polls before Sept 28.

Has Najib got the courage to steer the ship instead of just standing there holding on to the steering?
“This is the first time in Malaysian history that we have a prime minister who is afraid of calling for the polls,” remarked Mahfuz Omar, the PAS MP for Pokok Sena in Kedah.

Selena Tay is a FMT columnist.