SAKMONGKOL AK47

THE END OF HISTORY AND THE LAST UMNO MAN.

Many of us stood high dudgeon by the press interview given by the PM on the 6th of April 2008. He has just completed meeting about 1000 UMNO information chiefs and officials. He asked for the meeting to explain why UMNO lost.

He blamed Tunku Razaleigh and Tun Mahathir for UMNO's defeat. Mahathir had made many blunders during his 22 year rule. Tengku Razaleigh had done nothing to win back Kelantan. He took a swipe at Anwar Ibrahim. He singled out saboteurs within UMNO. Everyone is blameworthy except his incompetent leadership and a submissive and pliant MKT.

To placate the wrath of UMNO members he said he will be discussing with Dato Najib on a succession plan? What after taking over only in 2003? That’s hardly 5 years my dear prime minister. But isn’t the question of leadership succession is determined by the UMNO electorate?

Najib was somewhere lurking in the background. He smells blood in the water. But he is not a predator. He is a scavenger. He is the quintessential political invertebrate. Hiding behind some nebulous idea of tradition. We have our traditions, he exclaimed. You mean to tell us the ex UMNO president of 22 years doesn’t know a thing or two about tradition. Blimey.

Perhaps what people don’t realise is that Najib has survived on political subsidies all the while. He has been on that since 1976 when he took over the parliamentary seat of Tun Razak when the latter passed away. He thus took the job by default.

Since then he has known only one job- managing power. If has not mastered the intricacies of power then he must be thick as Baldrick, lord Blackadder’s dogsbody. Having known only one job, if he has not turned into an expert, he must be a stupid fool. That can hardly be classified as an accomplishment can it? In this world, only Ezam Mohd Nor, the born again UMNO man thinks so.

But what troubled many was Dato Najib's response after the interview. When asked by reporters, his answer was, he is thankful that Pak Lah has ordained him as the next UMNO President. You see my friends, he wasn't interested to discuss the perils of UMNO, he was over eager to state his readiness to take over power. To do what my dear TPM?

Dato Najib isn’t the last man in UMNO.