The wave of attacks are coming thick and fast.
And in the haste to deflect them, his public relations team has roped in
his maternal grandfather Mohamad Noah Omar.
And according to a veteran newsman, this is not wise from the perspective of Malay politics.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, A Kadir Jasin said: "Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has lost the plot."
He was responding to reports in Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian which stated "it is understood that Mohamad Noah had financed Najib and his siblings education".
"The older generation of Malays knew and may have accepted him as he was. But this would definitely come as a shock to the younger generation," he said.
Another disaster
Though he did not spell it out, Kadir was alluding to the sentiments of Muslims with regard to sin profits.
In a blog posting, the former News Straits Times group editor-in-chief said although Noah is considered one of Umno's founders, it was his business links that made him controversial.
"He
(Mohamad Noah) was the partner of 'gambling king' Lim Goh Tong. Mohamad
Noah and Lim started the sole casino project in Genting Highlands in
1965," he added.
Quoting Lim's memoir 'My Story', Kadir said the tycoon wrote: "On April 27, 1965, Mohamad Noah and I set up a private company called Genting Highlands Sdn Berhad.
"Between the years 1965 and 1970, we made applications to the Pahang and Selangor Governments for 4,940 hectares and 1,110 hectares of freehold land respectively."
The veteran newsman described this as another disaster with regard to the prime minister's high-profile public relations team.
However, the dailies mentioned that Mohamad Noah had divested his shares in Genting Highlands Sdn Bhd before the casino was formed.
'Umno always warlike'
Of late, the focus has been on the lavish lifestyle of Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor, which the Prime Minister’s Office attributed to inheritance.
This led the prime minister’s four brothers to issue a statement to defend their late father as a frugal man and express concern that the issue could taint his reputation.
Also riding on the Najib train was former law minister Zaid Ibrahim, who trained his focus on Sunday’s meeting between the Umno president and division leaders.
He
is certain that all division leader would declare their unequivocal
support for Najib despite speculation suggesting otherwise.
"According to one of the more well-known division heads, Bung Mokhtar Radin from Kinabatangan, this is a normal meeting with the prime minister where they will ask him some questions to clarify current issues - so there’s nothing extraordinary about the event.
"This is where the weakness of BN’s leadership lies. There is no mechanism to allow for a peaceful leadership transition.
"It’s always warlike and any contest will tear BN apart. This is why an Umno president can rule forever, even if he is a disaster like the current one. No one dares to challenge him because that’s not done in this autocratic party," he added.
And according to a veteran newsman, this is not wise from the perspective of Malay politics.Speaking to Malaysiakini, A Kadir Jasin said: "Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has lost the plot."
He was responding to reports in Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian which stated "it is understood that Mohamad Noah had financed Najib and his siblings education".
"The older generation of Malays knew and may have accepted him as he was. But this would definitely come as a shock to the younger generation," he said.
Another disaster
Though he did not spell it out, Kadir was alluding to the sentiments of Muslims with regard to sin profits.
In a blog posting, the former News Straits Times group editor-in-chief said although Noah is considered one of Umno's founders, it was his business links that made him controversial.
"He
(Mohamad Noah) was the partner of 'gambling king' Lim Goh Tong. Mohamad
Noah and Lim started the sole casino project in Genting Highlands in
1965," he added. Quoting Lim's memoir 'My Story', Kadir said the tycoon wrote: "On April 27, 1965, Mohamad Noah and I set up a private company called Genting Highlands Sdn Berhad.
"Between the years 1965 and 1970, we made applications to the Pahang and Selangor Governments for 4,940 hectares and 1,110 hectares of freehold land respectively."
The veteran newsman described this as another disaster with regard to the prime minister's high-profile public relations team.
However, the dailies mentioned that Mohamad Noah had divested his shares in Genting Highlands Sdn Bhd before the casino was formed.
'Umno always warlike'
Of late, the focus has been on the lavish lifestyle of Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor, which the Prime Minister’s Office attributed to inheritance.
This led the prime minister’s four brothers to issue a statement to defend their late father as a frugal man and express concern that the issue could taint his reputation.
Also riding on the Najib train was former law minister Zaid Ibrahim, who trained his focus on Sunday’s meeting between the Umno president and division leaders.
He
is certain that all division leader would declare their unequivocal
support for Najib despite speculation suggesting otherwise."According to one of the more well-known division heads, Bung Mokhtar Radin from Kinabatangan, this is a normal meeting with the prime minister where they will ask him some questions to clarify current issues - so there’s nothing extraordinary about the event.
"This is where the weakness of BN’s leadership lies. There is no mechanism to allow for a peaceful leadership transition.
"It’s always warlike and any contest will tear BN apart. This is why an Umno president can rule forever, even if he is a disaster like the current one. No one dares to challenge him because that’s not done in this autocratic party," he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment