DEC 2 — On one fundamental point, Datuk Seri Najib Razak differs greatly from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the man many say will have a strong influence on the next administration.
And this difference comes to the question of how to interpret the events of March 8.
Dr Mahathir has poured scorn on pundits or commentators who suggested that the strong showing by Pakatan Rakyat was a sign that many Malaysians had tired of the excesses of Umno/Barisan Nasional and wanted a government committed to change.
He prefers instead to view the ballooning of support for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his ilk as a protest against the weak leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Nothing more, nothing less.
“I believed that it was rather protest against the failures of the Abdullah Government that caused many Barisan Nasional members and supporters to vote for the opposition,'' he wrote on his blog recently.
Bundled in this thinking is the conviction that there was nothing much wrong with the Malaysia he handed over to Abdullah in October 2003.
Accepting that the groundswell of support for the Opposition in Election 2008 was anything more than a protest vote against Abdullah would have been tricky for Dr Mahathir.
It would have dragged him into the picture and forced an examination of whether excesses during his 22 years in office had sowed the seeds of anger and dissatisfaction that bore bountiful fruit for the Opposition.
Or whether some of the assumptions which he, Abdullah and other Umno leaders have relied on for decades — that Malaysians will always pick political stability over change; that Malaysians are more interested in economic issues rather than liberal causes; that Chinese and Indians will never vote for candidates from Pas — are bankable anymore.
In contrast, watching Najib on Al-Jazeera last night, it was clear that he belongs to the school of thought who believes that Umno and BN are facing a new set of voters, Malaysians who want institutions in the country to be beyond reproach; for laws to be administered in a just manner; for a more equitable distribution of wealth according to needs.
"I realise there is a new Malaysia that has evolved and changed. Malaysian society is now more mature and demands more openness, '' he said to a question from Riz Khan. During the 20-minute interview, he suggested that change will have to be gradual but nevertheless his administration and party will have to meet the aspirations of new Malaysia.
With two million new voters to face by the time the next elections are due, Najib knows that it will be dangerous to believe that 42 per cent of the country voted for Pakatan Rakyat solely because they were angry with Abdullah. Sure, many Malaysians were disappointed that the man they vested so much hope in disappointed and did not deliver on his promises to reform the government and institutions.
But a Merdeka Centre poll showed that in the run-up to the elections, Abdullah's popularity approval was still in the high 60s. No, deeper discontent persuaded the Indians to leave the embrace of BN, for Chinese to cast aside their prejudices and support Pas and for young Malaysians to experiment with inexperience.
Based on what he said last night, Najib believes that his party and coalition are headed for ruin if the lessons of March 8 are not interpreted correctly.
"If we do not change or reform then it is quite possible the electorate will decide to end BN rule, '' he said.
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The result of the next G.E. is a foregone conclusion and having Najib as PM, even BN people are very pessimistic, nevermind all the false news reported in the mass media about the Pakatan govt at state level.
Malaysians simply want change and this cannot be provided by UMNO as can be seen by Najib and Muhideen and Mukhriz having the highest no. of nomination for the UMNO yoth chief election, all made worse by Mahatir being seen to be suporting Najib n Muhideen.