Respected for his sharp intellect and unflappable demeanor, Najib was always expected to take power some day. But he will do so sooner than predicted in an effort to restore the ruling coalition's fortunes after a calamitous performance in the March general election.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced yesterday that he would hand power in March 2009 to Najib, his current deputy whose mettle has been increasingly tested by opposition attempts to link him to corruption, sexual impropriety and even murder.
"He's a natural successor … Najib has moved up the political ladder. He has the experience, faced the challenges. He is a very polished politician, well-trained, well-exposed," said Mohamad Mustafa Ishak, a political analyst at Universiti Utara
These were some of the assuaged and massaged statements about our incoming UMNO president. Or should Sakmongkol say, one of the two? Tengku Razaleigh will also be vying for the same post. Najib is an incoming only on the terms thought of by Abdullah Badawi. Until March, shall we say, Najib is the president-appointed?
It is no skin off Sakmongkol’s nose if people think Najib has a sharp intellect. Sakmongkol maintains that having served for 33 years in public office, he has acquired professionalism. If he hasn’t, then he must be a thicky.
OK, lets say, he has above average intelligence. Compared to the country bumpkins in Pekan, of course he has an above average intelligence.
He is a natural successor. Why ?
Because he was high born? Then this sentiment is based on the premise that everyone must be born in particular families in order to lead. What is the implication? This means that leadership is biologically determined.
If this perception is held by an esteemed person from universiti utara, then it flies against the idea of democracy. Why? Because selection by birth is indefensible. Sakmongkol hopes the professor from U. Utara subscribes to the idea that intellectually, morally and politically , democracy is the only game in town. Therefore to suggest that Najib’s ascension is natural is itself not defensible.
Sakmongkol is surprised when it comes to selecting leaders and leadership, people often resort to reading tea leaves. Instead of looking at the issue directly, they prefer to interpret coded signals.
Unflappable Demeanor is taken to mean something exquisite and good for leadership? Hey, if you give RM10 million to Hanapi Salleh the ketua cawangan in Ubai who has offered himself as a vice president of UMNO, he too is capable of assuming a cool exterior. This demeanor is perhaps just a reflection of easy living. Not good leadership.
Well trained and well exposed are not traits unique to Najib only ok professor?. If people put you in public office since the age of 22, what would you get? Training and experience too right?
Lets have some substance in our discussion of leadership,. Otherwise Sakmongkol will be inclined like Hishamudin Rais to label you a kangkong professor.
He is not only a kangkong professor but an apple polisher of the highest order.
ReplyDeleteRemembered him when he came to his talk at Intan Kiara late because he forgot about the appointment. He was supposed to talk about the seven habits of a a great man or something like that. I guess he doesn't practise what he preaches.
Prof kangkong means he kebas thesis anak murid utk tulis paper ... entah idea siapa ini semua.
ReplyDeleteEverybody has a right to their opinion. But the sorry state of affairs is that the PM of the country is control by the UMNO division heads of about 200 people. With this kind of modus operandi, then even a 5 years old can tell that such a system is open for abuse...I mean big time and hence the patronage and widespread money politics within UMNO.
ReplyDeleteThe question is, is it then fair to the millions of UMNO members then, let alone the 25 million people of Malaysia. How can it be when the fate of the majority lies in the hands of just 200 people, in UMNO's case, as low as 58 people or 30% vote. If UMNO is democratic as claimed by it's leaders, then the election of the President should be by vote from all the members.
Of course those who have 'paid their dues' and subject to the patronage system will cry foul and would object to any changes.
Until and unless the grassroots of UMNO members demand for change, business in UMNO will be as usual. There may be some cosmetics changes with the change of leadership, but the CORE of UMNO will be as rotten as ever.
Whatever post that is available should be an open vote where the members can vote directly.
Now with Pak Lah gone, I have my reservation for Najib...he has been such a Yes man to Pak Lah. Like Sakmongkol AK47 said, Malaysia need a credible leader who have the leadership qualities. Apart from having the perception of his corrupt dealings in his previous Ministry, Najib will have his hand full on the Mongolian murder case too, why swear on the Quran if he is a dignified leader. By doing so, isn't that an insult to Islam?
Will Malaysia ever get a true statesman in UMNO who vow to serve the rakyak? Can any of the UMNO politician live in an abode just like the Tok Guru of PAS? Think about it.
My 2 cents worth.
Cheers,
Malaysian working in Indonesia
anonymous says -" Until and unless the grassroots of UMNO members demand for change, business in UMNO will be as usual. There may be some cosmetics changes with the change of leadership, but the CORE of UMNO will be as rotten as ever."
ReplyDelete-
I honestly believe that there is a huge group of UMNO members that are god-fearing and desires change for the better. Why, just reading rhe comments and constructive thinking in this blog, is
evidence of that. I am speculating that this site is patronised by UMNO members. But here's the thing, "why rock the status quo and come out of your comfort zone?" Sadly, some of us may be pitying the former Law Minister for resigning on a matter of principles. But he goes down in Malaysian History as one of the heroes of UMNO. I am rambling here, heck even SAKMONGKOL deserves to be PM ( compared with the others lah.)
Mat .... there r but some lucky sperms born with da silver foot in their mouth
ReplyDeleteintelligence huh? thats like greek to UMNO
cheers
Seems like everybody jump with the name altantuya now. Most didn't even care about the horibble fate anyway but so eager to link with Dato Najib. well, are we sure the girl is innocent anyway? are we sure the girl is not our country threat? With Rosmah now being accused of been at the bomb site.. this is just a bit juicy and dramatic doesn't it? i mean. err. why should she be literally there?
ReplyDeleteMaybe there's a link somewhere, we don't know yet, but i prefer not to sacrifice my country for it and i dun wanna judge other ppl.. saperlah kita di dunia ini anyway.. lagipun all talk, aiyaa.. enough coffeeshop for me.. juz my 2 cents..
Dear Sakmongkol, care to comment on this ..... Thanks.
ReplyDelete------------------------------
Seeing Umno for what it is
- by a Malaysian Titanic 3rd Class Passenger
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The truth is that Umno has ruled supreme for the last 50 years. It always got it's way because the dominant ethnic majority of the country always supported it's policies.
The state of the nation is corrupt, racist, discriminatory, abusive, unjust, inefficient, and backwards. If Malaysia stinks then it is because Umno stinks.
If the morals of the country stinks, then it is because the morals of Umno politicians stinks.
I won't even discuss the morality of explosives and murder of foreign nationals as most people seem to be able to tell the difference between right and wrong in this instance.
Instead, I shall talk about Umno's corruption and Umno's racism as the former will occasion the disastrous downfall of this nation, and the latter will be the downfall of the Malays.
Umno teaches that it is just to discriminate against all non-Malays and non-Muslims - jobs, education, schools, colleges, universities, business opportunities, government contracts, concessions, taxes, and even finding a cemetery to bury the dead.
Umno teaches that it is right to discriminate on the basis of a person's race, culture, language or religious beliefs.
In front of non-Malays, it speaks of tolerance and unity in diversity, and in front of Malays it speaks of race, religious, cultural and language supremacy, and the glorification of power and ethnic subjugation.
Bung Mokhtar Radin's leadership role as characterised by a yobbish machismo, obscene gestures, medieval attitudes towards women and minorities, and strutting bigotry within Umno is not only not an accident of chance, but an exemplary example of Umno's appeal to the baser instincts and darker fantasies of it's ethnic constituency.
To the vernacular schools it gives a pittance for support, and to Malay language schools, there is no need to be diplomatic and call them ‘national language’ schools, it gives 100% support.
As for English-medium schools, the type that made Malaysian education the best in South East Asia, and our school-leavers the most sought after anywhere in the civilised world, they were made extinct, courtesy of Umno's language and cultural supremacist fantasies. So we are left with unemployable graduates with deplorable job skills and prospects.
Umno's policies caused a brain drain to Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada, and the US.
Umno's language supremacist policies caused the extinction of the best high-quality education that Malaysia and the Malays would ever know.
Umno's perversion of the very idea of meritocracy in favour of racist discrimination has ensured the lack of meritocractic competition for all Malaysians.
Sooner or later, the Malays will realise that denying meritocracy to non-Malays guarantees that there can be no meritocracy for Malays even within their own community.
The fact that there is no notable inferiority complex nor entitlement complex or NEP dependence amongst the non-Malays is no accident.
If the non-Malays were the dominant ethnic majority, and they had an Umno-like racist party to lead them with promises of ethnic supremacy, and racial discrimination and ethnic privileges, then I believe they would have lost their self-confidence, self-respect, and self-belief too.
Farish Noor once said ‘Umno ternak Melayu untuk disembelih’.
I agree, and if the dominant ethnic majority fails to see past Umno's seductive promises of ethnic supremacy and false gods of ethnic aggrandisement, then we are all finished.