Sitting on stage with Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at the Pakatan Harapan Ceramah “Sayangi Malaysia, Hapus Kleptokrasi” at IDCC in Shah Alam last night, I told the former Prime Minister that the current Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak may be taking a leaf from his premiership in 1999 and dissolve Parliament after he had presented his 2018 budget of goodies on Oct. 27, 2017 for the holding of the 14th General Election – which was what Mahathir did for the 10th General Election after presenting the 2000 budget on Oct. 28, 1999, dissolving Parliament in the midst of parliamentary debate on the new budget on 10th November with Nomination on 20th Nov and Polling on 29th Nov. 1999.
The speech by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the UMNO Hari Raya open house that the next general election would not take place in the next three months dovetailed into the possibility that the 14th General Election could be held after the presentation of the 2018 Budget in Parliament on Oct. 27.
One indication that the 14th general election could be held this year rather than next is the announcement by the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Datuk Razali Ismail that good news await the Felda community with Najib expected to announce, among others, measures to be taken by the government to help reduce the financial burdens of Felda settlers at the 2017 Felda Settler’s celebration this Sunday.
Yesterday, the Communications and Multimedia Minister, Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said that the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) national project might be costly, but it is Najib’s “gift” to the people of Malaysia.
This is of course a very cock-eyed argument, for the money did not come from Najib’s private pockets but from funds from the Treasury.
On the basis of Salleh’s logic, the iconic twin Towers are a “gift” from Mahathir to the people of Malaysia – and if so, how can Salleh be leading pack of propaganda hounds to keep barking at Mahathir?
Malaysians do not need any gift from Najib, but only good governance and accountability, especially with regard to the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal which has plunged Malaysia into the infamy of a global kleptocracy.