Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s poetic swipe at Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad illustrates that Najib have not learnt the lesson that he may have the world’s most expensive strategists and propagandists, but money cannot buy wisdom.

In a poem dedicated to his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib took a poetic swipe at his nemesis Tun Mahathir Mohamad and the Selangor Pakatan Harapan state government, while praising the loyalty of Tun Abdullah.

This is the latest example of Najib continuing to receive bad advice from his highly-paid strategists and propagandists.

The come-back had been swift and lethal, with UMNO veteran and former Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin reminding Najib that he had betrayed Abdullah or he would not be the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.

During the 2004 General Election, Abdullah campaigned as modern-day Justice Pao to fight corruption and abuses of power.

Is Najib suggesting that Abdullah has become a loyal and fervent supporter of Najib’s dubious “accomplishment” – making Malaysia a global kleptocracy? Let Abdullah say so himself – that he supports Najib in the 1MDB scandal, which has made Malaysia into a global kleptocracy.

It is unwise for Najib to launch the latest attack on Mahathir for Najib serves to underline the great question in the 14GE – whether one should remain loyal to persons and political parties even when these persons and political parties have betrayed their founding principles, becoming arrogant and corrupt, or whether one should be loyal to truth, justice and freedom.

I had worked with three of the six Prime Ministers of Malaysia after they had stepped down from the highest office of the land – Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman, the third Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Hussein Onn and the fourth Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

Tunku Abdul Rahman, Hussein and Mahathir have collectively held the Prime Minister’s post for some 40 of the 61 years of Malaysian history, i.e. or about two-thirds of the nation’s history.

Surely, Najib is not suggesting that Tunku Abdul Rahman, Hussein and Mahathir became traitors when they stepped down as Prime Minister and co-operated with DAP in the cause of truth, justice and freedom for Malaysia?

(Media Statement in Petaling Jaya on Tuesday, April 24, 2018)