“If this was done in 2009, when Najib took over from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, we might have seen it as a celebration,” Ariff says in his latest blog entry. “But why now, after he has served as PM for seven years? It’s as if his political obituary is being written.”
He notes that the celebration comes at a time when the public’s acceptance of Najib’s leadership is at its lowest level. “He’ll probably be remembered as the person who destroyed Umno. He isn’t able to provide leadership to Umno, much less Malaysia.”
He questions whether the stories on TV would eclipse the 1MDB scandal and the issue of the RM2.6 billion political donation.
According to Ariff, the following are some of the signs that a regime is coming to an end: the people are suffering and are angry, the number of repressive laws increase, and the lifestyle of the leaders disgust the people.
He sees signs that Najib may suffer the fate of fallen leaders like Suharto of Indonesia, Marcos of the Philippines, Pinochet of Argentina, Fujimori of Peru and Chavez of Venezuela.
“In fact,” he says, “Najib lives in fear, as evident from the blocking of The Malaysian Insider for critical reporting.”
He does not rule out the possibility that the embattled Prime Minister may retire from politics in the near future.
“It’s only those who retire that walk down memory lane. After he leaves, people will remember him more for embarking on non-standards that will be soon forgotten.”
Ariff alleges that Najib didn’t become the MP for Pekan through sheer effort. It was practically handed to him because he happens to be a son of the late Abdul Razak Hussein, he says.
He also alleges that Najib has always had the rent-seeking mindset.
“The rent-seeker gets returns by taking ownership of something. Najib began by taking ownership of the Pekan MP’s seat. He was chosen because he was his father’s son. He was mistakenly reckoned to have inherited his father’s leadership qualities.”
Forty years later, he says, it’s clear that the chickens have come home to roost. “His deeds have finally caught up with him.”