Wednesday 1 April 2009

Najib Razak: For the FIRST Time in Malaysian History, a Scandal-Tainted Prime Minister is Elected to Office

Read here for more in Top News website

Malaysia's future leader hounded by accusations

by

Julia Yeow


Barring divine intervention or an extremely well-hidden plan by his detractors, Deputy Prime Minister Mohd Najib Razak will be named Malaysia's sixth prime minister in a matter of days.

Outgoing premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is scheduled to resign on Thursday, paving the way for his deputy to be sworn in at a date that has yet to be announced, but that could happen the very same day.

But the timing for Najib couldn't be worse: he is taking over the leadership of a multi-party government coalition suffering from an all-time low public opinion, and a country already sinking in the fringes of a recession.

And to top it off, Najib's own battles with controversies and scandals have dogged him and overshadowed what should have been a triumphant appointment.

Linking Najib to the Murder of a Mongolian Woman

The main controversy, and possibly the most damaging, is the alleged link between him and the gruesome murder of a Mongolian beauty in 2006.

Altantuya Shaarribuu, then 28, was shot and her body blown up with military-grade explosives. Police found her remains on a remote hill outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Both media and public attention to the case reached fever pitch when prominent political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, also a close friend and aide of Najib, was detained for his role in the woman's death.

Abdul Razak was cleared of all charges last year, but allegations of links between Najib and the victim remained, a claim vehemently denied by the deputy premier.

Even after Najib swore his innocence on the Muslim holy book of the Quran in an elaborate ceremony, opposition members and bloggers have been relentless in their accusations.

During a by-election in the northern Penang state last year, thousands of opposition supporters chanted the murder victim's name over and over every time Najib appeared.

Such embarrassing incidents are surely not going to stop once he becomes prime minister.

"For Najib to simply deny that he is not in any way involved with the murder or attribute evil motives on his critics - his current strategy - will not cut it," said prominent political commentator M Bakri Musa.

"Najib has to assure Malaysians that his personal integrity is beyond reproach," Bakri said in his blog.

But the Mongolian murder, coupled with rampant rumours of corruption involving several arms deals while Najib was defence minister, continue to shadow Najib's denials and attempts at projecting a clean image.

According to independent pollster Merdeka Centre, Najib's popularity rating currently stands at 41 per cent, compared to the 46-per-cent rating of his predecessor Abdullah, who was hounded from office.

Najib's problems don't stop at just a low popularity rating. He will be taking over at a time when Malaysia is experiencing increasing unemployment and dwindling economic growth.

Najib as a Leader is Divisive

"These are extremely difficult times. Malaysia needs a leader that can unite this country which is facing hard times," said Zaid Ibrahim, a former minister in Abdullah's cabinet who was fired from the ruling party after he attended an opposition-organized event recently.

"I am hard-pressed to say this, but for these very reasons, I must say that Najib will surely split us, and in doing so, push us further into the pits," Zaid said in a public speech recently.

The opposition warned that Najib's ascension to premiership also signaled a crackdown on dissent and freedom of opinion, citing his hand in a controversial takeover of Perak, one of the opposition-ruled states, earlier this year.

"Severe repressive measures may be the hallmark of Najib's ascendancy to premiership," said Tian Chua, the information chief of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's People's Justice Party.

Lim Kit Siang, veteran leader of the opposition Democratic Action Party, said that Najib's premiership could unite Malaysians in their distrust of the scandal-hounded leader.

"It is a most significant political phenomenon that many Malaysians, transcending the political divide, are wondering whether there is any way to stop Najib from becoming prime minister until he comes clean," Lim said.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

A scandal-tainted PM is in Office.. please take out the word "elected"....

Anonymous said...

So what's new in this country anymore..the weird things is only 2500 people from the whole 26 million Malaysia has chosen this person!!

Anonymous said...

Hampir 10 tahun berkhidmat sebagai Setiausaha Majlis Perbandaran Manjung.

Perasuah Tegar

* Sepanjang Ismail Saffian menjawat jawatan Setiausaha MPM, 5 kali Majlis Perbandaran Manjung disiasat oleh Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR) kerana Tender MPM hanya diberikan kepada rakan-rakan terdekat.

* Hotel Crystal Sitiawan adalah diantara premis perniagaan yang mempunyai tunggakan hutang Cukai Taksiran berjumlah puluhan ribu tetapi tiada tindakan diambil oleh Majlis Perbandaran Manjung semasa Ismail Saffian menjadi Setiausaha MPM.

* Ketika Ismail Saffian Menjadi Setiausaha MPM, puluhan Kilang/Premis Industri di kawasan MPM beroperasi tanpa lesen tetapi tiada tindakan diambil oleh MPM.

"Sexual Harrasment" (Gangguan Seksual)

* Beberapa kakitangan wanita MPM seringkali diajak untuk tidur bersama termasuk seorang yang hanya mahu dikenali sebagai Puan "R".

* Seseorang itu memerlukan sekeping Ijazah untuk layak memegang jawatan Pegawai Pentadbiran MPM tetapi hanya Ismail Saffian sahaja yang tahu bagaimana Puan "H" yang hanya berkelulusan SPM sahaja layak memegang jawatan tersebut.

* Anugerah Pekerja Cemerlang seringkali dinobatkan kepada Setiausaha Khas beliau Puan "A" yang seringkali dikaitkan sebagai mempunyai hubungan "sulit" dengan beliau.

* Ismail Saffian seringkali ke Sempadan Thailand untuk mencari "sesuatu". boleh semak rekod keluar masuk di Pasportnya untuk pengesahan (kecualilah beliau keluar masuk melalui jalan yang tak sah).

Salahguna Kuasa

* Seringkali ditegur dan beberapa kali menerima Surat Peringatan dari Yang Dipertua MPM kerana menggunakan kenderaan MPM untuk parti (UMNO).

* Pernah disiasat Badan Pencegah Rasuah kerana Kediaman Rasmi MPM di Sitiawan yang didiami Ismail diubah suai sehingga melibatkan kos yang mencecah hampir Setengah Juta Ringgit Malaysia dan akhirnya beliau berpindah ke rumah sewa di Taman Venice Of Perak, Seri Manjung.

Kesejahteraan Rakyat Perak, Insya-Allah dalam masa tedekat ini, kami Rakyat Perak pendukung kebenaran akan membongkarkan lebih banyak lagi kisah Ismail Saffian dalam Siri Ke-2..!

Yap Chong Yee said...

How sincere can Najib be in the circumstances the prevails in Malaysia today ? The Pakatan Rakyat is riding high and the

component UMNO dogs (MCA & MIC) are shunned by the Chinese & Indians, the Malays are split into 2 halves of UMNO vs
PR ? I say to my Chinese brothers and sisters that this man, NAJIB ! has been even just two months ago was a racist and has

been a racist for all of his life, now comes out with a MALAYSIAN MALAYSIA, a slogan that was minted by Lim Kit Siang & Lee

Kuan Yew as far back as the first Malaysian General elections in 1957. How sincere can Najib be ? or for that matter how sincere

can UMNO be; given that even as we speak UMNO is still calling for the destruction of the politics of the opposition by epithets

that are nothing short of SIDITIOUS ! Where is the response of a responsible government ? Where are the criminal prosecutions

of those who have uttered sidition ? IS THIS TRUELY A DEMOCRATIC MALAYSIA ?

The solution to all the problems in Malaysia lies in electing a government of the Pakatan Rakyat so that a clean start can be had

and democracy take and develop in the normal course. We have had 51 years of threats and broken promises for all of 51 years

and we do not need to live by promises alone; we can take the common sense path, and strike out by returning a Pakatan

Rakyat government. Do we not owe ourselves and our children a debt to look at what has been achieved in Pakatan Rakyat

ruled states and to judge in our own selfish interests alone to say that what has been achieved by Pakatan Rakyat in such a

short time has been outstanding ! I say that we owe it to ourselves and our children that we must break this vicious cycle and

vote UMNO out of government and to give ourselves a chance to tas