NEW Not too long ago, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak cautioned the nation that “we cannot have Little Napoleons who do not understand innovation”. His implied warning is that these pests would mess things up and stall the country's march to a brave world yonder. But who are these pesky officers who dare to throw the spanner into the wheels of development? The people have read and heard much about them and their haughty ways, but they seldom make it to the headlines. They work behind the desks in a fog of imperial authority which even their political bosses cannot fathom or discern. They are power centres themselves who call the shots.

At the stroke of midnight, a “thief” crept into the homes of all Malaysians while they were sound asleep. He did not intend to steal their material possessions. He did worse – he left a note on their breakfast table, which shook them up the next day. They read: “Sugar up! Petrol up! Diesel up! Natural gas up!” Unbeknown to them, the man who stays in Putrajaya was working overtime on this piece of bad news and had surreptitiously delivered the blow at a time when most people are in slumber land. But some got wind of his secret intention – they rushed to the petrol stations and joined the long queue to fill up their tanks.

Many would have assumed that Barisan Nasional was serious in wanting to revamp itself to remain relevant in the aftermath of the pounding it had received in the 2008 general election. In the days which followed the ruling coalition's heaviest defeat, many leaders said that it was time to do things differently -- discard the old mindset, rebrand the component parties and take up the challenge thrown at them by the rakyat to change.

Umno president Najib Tun Razak was blunt in his message to his party members last week. First in Jerantut, he spoke of the need to champion the plight of the people if the party wants to remain in power. Individualistic attitude and internal politicking must be averted in order to strengthen Umno, he stressed. He revisited the same argument in his own constituency of Pekan where he warned the prima donnas in the party not to score own goals but instead to be important team players. His argument was that only a party with strong teamwork can reap more successes.

Barisan Nasional’s abuse of the court system, like many of its other abuses, is as blatant as belacan, to borrow an expression from an old Salleh Ben Joned poem. Like belacan, it stinks to high heaven. But at least belacan does not insult your intelligence.

When former prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein came up with the idea of setting up the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda), he had the welfare of the poor in mind.

His big-hearted plan was to give land to the rural poor for them to cultivate and “earn themselves a decent living”. But 60 years later down the road, with Najib Tun Razak in the driver's seat, the son is harvesting and spoiling the fruits of his father's labour.

What is it about being Malaysia’s Education Minister that prompts even the dullest politician to imagine himself an out-of-the-box thinker with a brilliant idea that everyone should listen to? Muhyiddin Yassin, like other education ministers before him, has proposed a major change in the way we educate our children so that they can get a “holistic education” and become “creative, innovative and interactive” citizens. Presumably, he is addressing the issue of our declining educational standards. He thinks the answer lies in relieving students of examination pressure until they are in Secondary Five.

As the clock ticks down to the 13th general election, the burning question is whether Barisan Nasional would be able to form the government again or would Pakatan Rakyat seize control of Putrajaya. Lest we forget, there is also talk of a third force taking shape.