January 14, 2025
Kuala Lumpur – “…we know that there can never be a strong friendship between men, nor a true community between different nations, unless both parties share a firm belief in honesty and a certain like-mindedness in other respects; Athenian History The writer and general Thucydides discusses the war between Sparta and Athens in the fifth century in his History of the Peloponnesian War.
This sentence reminds me of the political drama behind former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “house arrest” addendum. By now, Najib should know which of his friends are not real friends.
The response of some senior UMNO leaders to the issue of house arrest reflected Thusididis' view that “if people think differently, they will act differently”.
On September 1 last year, I wrote about trickery in a column titled “Still Waters Run Deep”, which is the use of deception to achieve a goal.
My column was about Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his daughter Datuk Nurul Hidayah Ahmad Zahid getting choked up during the Umno annual general meeting.
“To understand why Zahid and his daughter cried, we must first understand what they most longed for and feared most,” explained a political analyst I met during the discussion.
“What Zahid’s daughter wants most is that her father can remain as Umno president for as long as possible. Their biggest worry is that Zahid loses the Umno chairmanship because if he is released from prison, Najib may Will challenge this position.
Fast forward to January 6th of this year.
Ahmad Zahid Hamid, who is also deputy prime minister, told Umno members not to attend a rally in support of Najib's house arrest at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya on Monday. Party members who choose to attend rallies must do so at their own risk: “If individuals attend solidarity rallies, we hold them at their own risk,” he said.
On January 3, UMNO announced that it was canceling the planned rally after the National Palace stated that any application for pardon or commutation of sentence must be submitted by the prisoner for consideration by the Pardon Committee chaired by His Majesty King Ibrahim Sultan of Malaysia.
After the “seni sandiwara” (theatrical arts) at Umno's annual general meeting, why did the party prevent members from expressing solidarity with the former president?
A rally is just a rally. This is just a one-day event. A political stunt hijacked by Umno's rival PAS. Opposition parties hold rallies when they can gain political benefit from an issue.
More significant in the court drama of Najib's house arrest is a letter from the Pahang palace confirming the existence of a royal decree allowing the former prime minister to serve the remainder of his sentence at home.
It was the letter that mattered, not the unity rally. Prevent pro-Najib Umno leaders and party members from engaging in Zahid’s divisive behavior? Does this prove that the “strong friendship” between Zahid and Najib lacks honest belief?
The public is not interested in the political intrigue between the Umno president and the former president, but has questions about the addendum.
> Why was the addendum not submitted to the Board of Pardons?
> Does anyone have a copy of the appendix?
> What is the date of the appendix and was the Sultan of Pahang still king at that time?
> Najib has been allowed to seek a pardon from his sentence. This is probably the first one. When can he look for the next one? By law, he cannot apply for a pardon every year.
> Is there really no law allowing house arrest?
Some people texted me saying they didn't understand the addendum – presumably most people were confused as well.
One friend texted: “Malah rakyat meluat dengan Umno yang nak bebaskan Najib (Even the people are disgusted with Umno and they want to free Najib).”
“How many people love Najib? They punished him in the 2018 election.
The answer to whether people love Najib may come from looking at his wealth.
Niccolò Machiavelli, the Italian Renaissance political philosopher and statesman, wrote: “…men can support their destiny, but not against her; they can weave the warp, but not break it.” However, they should not give up, because there is always hope… Since there is hope, they should not despair, no matter what fate brings, no matter what pain they encounter.
The wheel of fortune may be turning in Najib's favour.
Ten years after the 1MDB scandal, with fortunes against him, is she now in the former prime minister's favor?
If that's the case, it's hard to argue against her.
When Umno, under the leadership of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, canceled the Jan 6 rally, was it an act of bad luck?
You can oppose people, but you cannot oppose destiny.
Remember when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was favored by fate despite Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s efforts to prevent him from ascending to the top job?
The same goes for Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, whose second attempt to be sworn in as prime minister failed.
Human beings – not even politicians – cannot fight fate.
