By Kuik Cheng Kang
Cold War 2 is a recent Cantonese box-office hit incorporating several important political elements in the election of Hong Kong’s chief executive and the intervening forces behind the race.
Back to everyday life in Malaysia, what is taking place right before our eyes could be even more dramatic than the movie plot, and is in fact way more intriguing.
Money laundering aside, it also entails power swaps, vicious rivalry between the opposing camps, retaliatory actions, resignations, dismissals, forced retirements, transfers and a whole lot more.
All of a sudden and out of the blue, the 1MDB issue has found itself lodged within the whirlpool of the country’s relationships with both Beijing and Washington.
The conspiracy theory set off soon after US attorney-general Loretta Lynch named Prime Minister Najib Razak’s stepson Riza Aziz, business tycoon Jho Low and two others from Abu Dhabi as being involved in laundering stolen 1MDB funds during a press conference in Washington DC, that was shown live on CNN at 11.30pm Malaysian time on July 20.
In the press conference, Lynch also mentioned a certain “Malaysian Official 1”.
The conspiracy theorists have accused Washington of attempting to apply pressure on Najib for leaning towards Beijing, but many in the country have dismissed this as unfounded.
When contacted, a senior official in Putrajaya averted my direct question, asking instead, why Lynch chose to hold the media briefing soon after the United Nation’s tribunal’s ruling on the South China Sea. The official subsequently shared with me some stories to prove Najib’s intimate relationship with Chinese president Xi Jinping.
He had also said Najib would go on a working visit to Beijing in October, with more cooperation projects expected to be announced during his trip.
The official went on to say that Najib was accorded VVIP treatment in China, and that Malaysia is probably Beijing’s closest ally in Asean besides Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.
When Najib was mired in the 1MDB scandal, it was China that came to his rescue, purchasing 1MDB’s energy assets and making a landmark deal in the Bandar Malaysia project, among others.
In addition, China’s automotive giant Geely has also emerged as one of the hottest contenders for Proton’s shares while large sums of Chinese funds make their way into the country.
When the tribunal announced the ruling on the South China Sea, Najib was reportedly overseas, but he called back to instruct the Cabinet to refrain from making public comments on this matter, showing that he did appreciate the relationship with China.
Najib was unhappy with the high profile move by the United States Department of Justice (DoJ), calling it unprecedented.
Sin Chew Daily carried the news on the DoJ’s asset seizure civil suits over five full pages. Some close friends and readers asked me whether we received any call from the authorities. I told them we never worried about this as our reports were factually based on the DoJ’s media conference.
We are now entering an era of obliterated media boundaries and ubiquitous media presence. We can never behave like an ostrich, pretending not to see anything.
Unfortunately, even as we live in a hyperconnected world, our editors still occasionally receive directives to publish certain news on the online media but not the print media.
Thanks to 1MDB, Najib finds himself under siege, fighting desperately to extend his political life. After several rounds of power swaps, Najib and his aides are now overflowing with confidence.
Some have said once former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin are out of Umno, they will be like fishes taken out of the water, waiting to exhale their last breaths.
The upcoming Umno divisional conventions will offer a clue as to whether Najib remains rock solid in his party.
It is also learned that Najib has instructed Barisan Nasional component parties to prepare for the general elections slated for the first quarter of next year.
The opposition must thank the United States for doing them a huge favor, a veritable “godsend” to fire them up in their onslaught against Najib, with calls for a Bersih 5 rally.
That said, all that we see now is that the Opposition parties are in a state of disunity, totally devoid of that power unleashed during the GE13 campaign. Najib et al, in the meantime, are planning their next moves to fight back.
In an increasingly intense political power play, where the truth is pulling away from us, the rakyat are but a disposable chess piece, the deals behind all the more prepared to betray us. If you still believe in the sweet “people-first” promises, God bless you!
To save this country, it is imperative for us to establish a common understanding on the preservation of the rule of law spirit and complete separation of the three branches of Government in a bid to ward off undesirable political intervention.
Kuik Cheng Kang is Executive Editor-in-Chief of Sin Chew Daily
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