BOMBSHELL – THE Z-BOMB ACTUALLY FALLS ON PAS, BERSATU & THE MALAY ULTRAS – FOLLOW THE RACIAL & RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM OF MAHATHIR & HADI & YOU’LL NEVER GET ANYWHERE – THE GREEN WAVE HAS EXHAUSTED ITSELF, IT’S TIME TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THE NON-MALAYS – DESPITE THE UNPRECEDENTED NOISE FROM CIVIL SOCIETY OVER ZAHID’S DISCHARGE – ‘THE CHINESE WHO ROSE AGAINST UMNO ARE DETERMINED TO DEFEND THE UNITY GOVT, WHATEVER THE COST. IT IS ABOUT CHOOSING THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS. TO THEM, UMNO, WHICH THEY HAD LABELLED AS CORRUPT BEYOND REPAIR, IS A LESSER THREAT THAN THE THEOCRATIC AGENDA OF PAS’ – AND FOR UMNO, MCA & OTHER DAP-HATERS, ZAHID’S CASE IS VERY DIFFERENT FORM GUAN ENG’S WHICH WAS TRUMPED UP FROM RECYCLED EVIDENCE FROM ANOTHER OF NAJIB’S CASES!
Almost like a bomb going off
Supporters of Ahmad Zahid were relieved and grateful for the outcome of his corruption charges, but there were also others out there who were in disbelief and disappointed.
SOCIAL media exploded like a bomb when news broke that Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had walked free of his 47 corruption charges.
It is quite likely Ahmad Zahid is still pinching himself to ensure he is not dreaming that he is now a “free man”.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Umno president has been granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) in the Yayasan Akalbudi corruption case.
The decision stunned many, and Ahmad Zahid himself appeared somewhat overwhelmed when he emerged from the court to face the media, surrounded by his lawyers and supporters.
He has been swamped by well-meaning messages from friends and Umno comrades, and one of the first to congratulate him was former Kapar division chief Datuk Faizal Abdullah.
“He is a family friend, and I was relieved and thankful because nobody wants to be in that situation. Moreover, he was the political scapegoat when Mahathir returned in 2018.
“The only way to destroy Umno was to smear the top leader, so he (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) went after our president and many other Umno leaders. To me, it was political persecution,” said Faizal.
That tumultuous period after Pakatan Harapan came to power in 2018 saw a “witch hunt” that is not much different from how the current regime is going after Perikatan Nasional leaders.
Ahmad Zahid has survived a political typhoon and feels vindicated, although insider sources said he had some sort of personal crisis after the state elections last month.
It hit him hard because it was the second devastating blow for Umno under his leadership. He struggled with self-doubts and sought counselling from several ulama figures. That explained why Ahmad Zahid made special mention of “para ulama, guru-guru saya” (spiritual teachers) after thanking the Almighty, his family and the party.
DNAAs are not unusual in court cases, but he was the lightning rod in the general election, and many had voted for Pakatan because they did not want him as prime minister.
As such, the court of public opinion is not with him, and several civil society leaders have demanded an explanation from the Attorney General.
But the trouble is that some of these critical high-profile voices were silent as the grave when the former attorney general dropped corruption charges for Lim Guan Eng’s bungalow case.
“It’s the hypocrisy of civil society,” said a Kaula Lumpur-based lawyer.
According to Penang lawyer Khaw Veon Szu, the Chinese who rose against Umno are determined to defend the unity government, whatever the cost.
The intellectuals among them, said Khaw, have argued that it is about choosing the lesser of two evils. To them, Umno, which they had labelled as corrupt beyond repair, is a lesser threat than the theocratic agenda of PAS.
“This Chinese vernacular press is taking the same line because they know this is what the Chinese want,” he said.
Society is witnessing a moment in history when the moral high ground is crumbling around politics, and it is happening at a time when the division between Malays and non-Malays is so deeply etched.
Meanwhile, questions abound in Umno over what this means for Umno and its president.
Despite his troubles, Ahmad Zahid has been able to control the party to get it to do what he wants. That made him an indispensable partner to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He needs to continue to be in control of Umno to be of value.
“His position is strengthened. There were calls for him to resign, but I doubt anyone in Umno would dare repeat those calls.
“But will it repair the image of Umno, will we become a stronger party and win seats? Can we regain the trust of the Malays?” said Bastien Onn, the deputy chief of the Segamat Umno division.
The answers to Bastien’s questions will be blowing the wind for a while more.
An Umno official offered two possible scenarios on what’s next for Ahmad Zahid.
“The first one sees him consolidating his power to rise higher now that a big hurdle is cleared. But he is 70, he might consider bowing out gracefully to let someone more acceptable to the Malays take over,” said the Umno official.
So many questions for Umno to explore in the months ahead.
Social media is also choked with good, bad and ugly comments on whether Bossku or Datuk Seri Najib Razak will also taste freedom soon.
Hardcore supporters of Najib had devoured news of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra being granted a royal pardon on his return from exile.
It is their dream that Najib be granted a royal pardon, and they claim there would not be opposition from within the unity government given Pakatan’s muted response to Ahmad Zahid’s court outcome.
“Anwar and Zahid seem to be joined at the hip. I see a more structured cooperation between PMX and Umno going forward. It could bring the political stability that many crave.
“There is little sign of Malay support returning to Umno, but I am not ready to write Umno’s obituary as yet. A lot depends on how the government addresses their concerns,” said political commentator Ivanpal S. Grewal.
Making sure that Umno stands by PMX is the easy part. In the longer term, Ahmad Zahid’s usefulness lies in Umno’s ability to deliver the Malay votes, and that is the tough part.
ANN
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