The Barisan Nasional Supreme Council held one of its rare meetings last night, but it was a great disappointment as the non-Umno parties, whether MCA, Gerakan, MIC or from Sabah and Sarawak, dare not demand that the Barisan Nasional government should take a clear stand on various controversial issues which have disturbed rational and patriotic Malaysians, including an end to the Attorney-General’s double standard in prosecution, puny anti-corruption efforts with Malaysia even losing out to Indonesia and the postponement of GST implementation in April next year.

It is clear that there is no institutional or operational change in the character of the BN Supreme Council after the 13th General Election, with the BN Supreme Council continuing to be a platform for the exposition of UMNO political hegemony in BN, with the role of all the leaders of the other 13 BN component parties restricted merely to hear and obey what the UMNO “Big Brother” has decided instead of being a meaningful forum where common Barisan Nasional government policies are thrashed out from the input and consensus of all the BN component parties.

A good example is the outrageous and preposterous decision of the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patal not to prosecute Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali for his threat to burn the Bible but yet launching a dragnet of sedition prosecutions against Pakatan Rakyat leaders, activists and intellectuals.

As almost every day, there are media statements criticising and attacking the AG’s decision by the other Barisan Nasional component parties and their leaders, Malaysians would have expected the matter to be taken to the highest level at the Cabinet and the BN Supreme Council meeting last night – but this was not done.

What is the use of lowly officials from MCA, Gerakan, MIC or Sabah and Sarawak BN component parties criticising the AG for his double standards and abuse of the prosecutorial discretions if their Ministers in Cabinet and leaders in the BN Supreme Council dare not raise these matters at the proper forum to get them resolved?

The trouble with politics in Malaysia is that we have Ministers and leaders who are prepared to do anything just to keep their positions in government.

The MP for Pontian, Datuk Ahmad Maslan, who is also the Deputy Finance Minister, recently said that the BN government in Malaysia is “one of the best in the world”.

Ahmad Maslan does not want to be reminded that Datuk Seri Najib Razak is the first Prime Minister in Malaysia to form a government on a 48% minority vote, and that if there is clean, fair and democratic electoral system of “one man, one vote, one value”, Najib is today Parliamentary Opposition Leader and Maslan a mere backbencher in Parliament.

However, Ahmad Maslan should take note that Najib’s approval ratings as Prime Minister has nose-dived to the lowest point for any Prime Minister in Malaysia, falling back to 48 per cent – the lowest popularity rating for any Prime Minister – which he had touched once in June this year.

This result of the polls from 1005 voters from Oct. 11 to 26 by Merdeka Center also showed that the number of respondents unsatisfied with Najib also spiked from 38 per cent in August to 45 per cent last month – again returning to the highest unpopularity rating of 45 per cent which Najib had once recorded in June this year.

Can Ahmad Maslan explain how Najib as the Prime Minister of “one of the best governments in the world” could record the lowest popularity rating for those satisfied with his performance and the highest unpopularity rating for those unsatisfied with his government in the poll survey last month?

If Najib’s popularity rating among those satisfied with his government continue to fall, i.e. falling below 48%, while his unpopularity rating among those unsatisfied with his government continue to rise, i.e. rising above 45%, in the polls in the coming months, Najib will be breaking all records for all Malaysian Prime Ministers in terms of collapse of popularity rating and breaking the ceiling for unpopularity rating!

Is this what Ahmad Maslan means by the Najib government as “one of the best governments in the world”?

Did anyone dare to raise the subject of the collapse of Najib’s popularity rating as well as his unpopularity rating on the verge of breaking all records at the BN Supreme Council last night?

Is it any wonder that the influential British weekly, the Economist, in its latest publication ended its article on Malaysia with the following unflattering judgment on Najib:

“As always, the prime minister (Najib) touts policies intended to get Malaysia’s economy motoring. He has never looked less capable of carrying them out.”

(Speech at the DAP coffee-shop dialogue in Pontian on Saturday, 1st November 2014 at 9 am)