Najib is not going to resign. And he cannot be kicked out, either through a vote of no confidence or any other means. And soon the noise will die down and no one will care any longer. That is how things have been played out time and time again since time immemorial.
Although the attacks on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak are continuing, they are somewhat weakening with no new issues surfacing. The foreign publications are not stopping the exposes, though, and every week new stories are coming out. But the new stories are not about new issues. They are the same old issues being given what they try to present as a new angle.
The problem with the public is that eventually they reach a state of lethargy. When they suffer from information overdose they tend to close their minds and move on. There is such a thing called overkill and when you overkill it reaches the point of diminishing returns. The public no longer really cares because it has become boring and there are new things to distract them.
The same thing happened in the late 1990s. Initially the whole nation was transfixed on the Anwar Ibrahim corruption and sodomy trials. After a while people began to turn off. Many no longer followed the Anwar trials. Some even asked whether the trials were still ongoing and what was the result in the end.
The fact that Anwar was found guilty and had been sentenced and was appealing that conviction came as news to some. After a year or two not many were following the case any longer. It was a case of lethargy and information overdose. The people were tired of the issue and were no longer interested. New issues took their attention.
Anwar’s second sodomy trial in 2008-2009 attracted even less attention than the first trials ten years before that in 1998-1999. People only knew that he was convicted and sentenced and had lost the appeal. But what were the details of the trial? Why was Anwar found guilty? Not many know and assume it was because he was fixed up. They do not know that Anwar lost because the defence bungled the case on so many points.
The story of 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion is still news, but to many it is old news. As Russia said when they shot down Korean Airlines KAL007, the world has a memory of only 100 days. After 100 days the world would forget and would move on. Hence Russia saw no need to explain why it shot down KAL007. They only needed to ride it out for 100 days and a new issue would crop up to attract the peoples’ attention.
True enough. Do you even remember the date that KAL007 was shot down and how many people died? And where exactly was that plane shot down? And how long after that did the US shoot down Iran Air Flight 655? Which was the US ship that shot it down? How many people died in that disaster? And why was it shot down? What is the name of that person who shot it down?
In 1983 we knew all those details regarding KAL007. In 1988 was knew all those details regarding Iran Air Flight 655. We even knew the name of the person who shot the plane down. Today it is all forgotten. Some have never even heard of KAL007 and Iran Air Flight 655. That is how short our attention span is. One hundred days later and it is all forgotten.
So they need to make sure that people never forget. And that is why the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion stories are being repeated again and again. If they are not repeated, come Christmas not many would care any more. But they cannot repeat the same old story. They have to make it appear like it is a new story or new developments regarding an old story.
If they were to resurrect the story regarding the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder not many would care because that was something that happened nine years ago. But if it is a new development regarding something that happened nine years ago then it becomes a new story. So they rehash an old story in the form of a new story by suggesting that new evidence has just surfaced.
They need to do the same with the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion stories. So Khairuddin Abu Hassan is sent all over the world to lodge reports in various countries. Is anything going to come out of these reports? Will the governments of the other countries invade Malaysia and arrest Najib like they did with Manuel Noriega of Panama in 1989?
That, for sure, would never happen. So that means these reports would suffer the same fate that Suaram’s report in France against Najib faced — nothing in the end. But that gives them a new story to tell. And they can rehash an old story that people are not interested in any longer with a new twist.
But who is Khairuddin? He is a lower rung division leader who married a trophy wife and got declared bankrupt and the dowry in the form of a house he gave his wife got attached. Where does he get his financial resources from to be able to wage an international battle against Najib? How much is it costing him and who is footing the bill since he is broke? In short, who is his master?
Another new twist to an old story is regarding Anina Saadudin who is trying to get the courts to attach Najib’s assets. If they can freeze Najib’s assets then next month when they attempt a vote of no confidence in Parliament Najib will not be able to dissolve Parliament to call for fresh federal elections. That needs money. And if they can freeze Najib’s assets, including the overseas bank accounts said to be linked to him, Najib will be as broke as Khairuddin. Or so they hope.
This sounds just like Hitler’s last stand. Even as the Russians were surrounding Berlin he vowed to fight to the death. And the only army he had left, all schoolboys, were sent out not to kill Russians but to take Russian bullets and die in glory for the Fatherland. And these are the children that Najib’s enemies are using as a last ditch attempt to bring him down. And Najib is going to demolish all these children in his own time.
Najib has made it very clear he is fighting back. Just when they thought he was on the run he made a counterattack and demolished his enemies one by one. They are now resorting to desperado attempts to make sure that Najib’s term as Prime Minster ends next month. But it is just plenty of noise. Mere firecrackers.
Najib is not going to resign. And he cannot be kicked out, either through a vote of no confidence or any other means. And soon the noise will die down and no one will care any longer. That is how things have been played out time and time again since time immemorial.
Raja Petra Kamarudin
