Pride comes before Destruction
Pride comes before Destruction
by Mariam Mokhtar (01-21-13)@http://www.malaysiakini.com
According to one Sabahan, there is so much crime
in Sabah that squatter houses, too, have
grilles on the doors and windows, and that these cost more than the houses
themselves.
For four decades, ordinary Sahabans have been
angered by illegal immigration and the social and economic problems associated
with it, such as a shortage of housing, a lack of employment and educational
opportunities, high levels of crime and massive overcrowding.
Despite the limited terms of reference of the
Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) ordered by Prime Minister Najib Abdul
Razak, the RCI has revealed disturbing aspects of former Prime Minister Dr
Mahathir Mohamad’s bid to remain in power. Soon, the RCI will be overshadowed
by the side-show that Mahathir may have helped arrange.
The star-performer is the
self-styled motivational guru Sharifah Zohra Jabeen Syed Shah Miskin (right).
One wonders if Zohra has replaced the virgin queen, Ummi Hafilda Ali, who used
to come to Mahathir’s aid and helped distract the rakyat with golden showers
and salacious revelations.
There was once a time when the government would
detain reporters and send them to Kamunting, ostensibly for their own safety.
Zohra was denied this privilege because Najib has abolished the ISA. Last week,
Zohra bowed to overwhelming pressure and heeded Police advice to cancel her
seminar on ‘How to Make Your First Million’.
I can give you the gist of the RM200 per person
seminar. It is an open secret that the first million is easy to make; join
UMNO, then claw your way to the top by backstabbing and badmouthing everyone
who stands in your way.
There are tell-tale signs that that you have
“made it” and joined the UMNO elite. In the election canvassing that takes
place every five years, UMNO delivers bags of rice to the masses, but the UMNO
elite receive Birkin bags.
Households that qualify are given a one-off
payment of RM500 (and possibly another RM500 if the situation demands it) but
the elite get several million ringgit in hard cash, stuffed in suitcases.
The poor may get a discount on their smartphones,
but the elite are given the contracts to sell the phones. The rakyat may
be given tins of powdered milk as freebies during canvassing, but elite members
are given millions of ringgit to buy a few cows and many luxury condominiums.
Zohra has not
much in humility
A video of the shameful conduct of Zohra emerged
a month after the incident. Despite the public opprobrium which she received,
Zohra showed everyone that she is miskin by name and miskin (poor) by nature.
She lacks the intellect to reflect on her poor
behaviour. She did not have much in the way of humility. She displayed an
inferior understanding of people’s feelings and she was a poor communicator.
Instead of eating the humble pie, she has become
more arrogant and haughty. Instead of acknowledging that she was tactless and
rude, Zohra issued a statement from her hiding place, in which she declined to
apologise but “forgave” KS Bawani, the student who suffered Zohra’s acid
tongue.
This incident should have been a temporary frenzy
and yes, we are angry because it is obvious that Zohra’s behaviour is
unacceptable. Some UMNO leaders and members of the BN coalition have distanced
themselves from her, but it appears that Zohra is determined to prolong this
crisis into a full blown affair.
The reason must be to take our attention away
from Mahathir’s alleged crimes in the Sabah
votes for citizenship fiasco. Just a few months ago, Najib outlined the
terms of reference for the Sabah RCI. Many have criticised the RCI for its
limited scope and because its findings will not be revealed before GE13.
If the RCI proves that
UMNO won elections by fraud and cheating, it brings into doubt the legitimacy
of this and previous UMNO-BN governments. By cheating, UMNO has disenfranchised
the people of Malaysia
and forced us to wait until GE13 to gain our choice of ruling party.
Proof of fraud and cheating will confirm that
UMNO-BN should not be the current government. Will the RCI be another whitewash
or will its members seek to save their own skins, by leaving the sinking UMNO
ship?
As the extent of Mahathir’s Project IC is slowly
being revealed, the importance of this RCI is increasing.
Mahathir won’t go
without a fight
Just as Mahathir thought he had undermined Najib,
his hopes were damned. So he tried to deflect some of the rakyat’s abhorrence
of Project IC, by tarnishing the name of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Father of
Independence.
Will the RCI bring about the fall of Mahathir?
No. He may have cut a pathetic figure recently but he will not go without a
fight. Although the rakyat have a strong case against him, Mahathir has too
many people in his pockets. They owe their success to him and he will call in
his favours.
The rakyat is leading the Opposition fight to
topple the Mahathir regime, but their wish will not be fulfilled, just yet.
Both Najib and Mahathir are locked in a deadly
battle. Najib cannot bring about Mahathir’s fall, because to do so would bring
the fight right to his front door. He, like Mahathir, has a dirty past. The
best Najib can do is to hold out for a few more months.
If Najib were to destroy Mahathir now, it would
start a media frenzy, which would eclipse the one Zohra is facing today.
Zohra’s gaffe has caused quite a stir. She tried to put on a brave face and
refused to apologise, thus avoiding an admission of guilt. Ironically, her
intransigence has damaged UMNO by rallying the rakyat to vote for the
Opposition.
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