This is especially so in his attempts to prevent the rise of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, it quoted “observers” in Kuala Lumpur as saying.
One of these measures to thwart Dr Mahathir’s rise within the ranks of the opposition, the report said, was the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into forex losses by Bank Negara Malaysia in the 1980s and 1990s, when Dr Mahathir was prime minister.
The report said this was similar to the investigative probes into the Singapore’s Workers’ Party by the PAP government in the past.
The report said the government was prosecuting whistle-blowers from the opposition for leaking information of financial scandals involving government institutions by using a law similar to Singapore’s Official Secrets Act.
The Malaysian government has jailed whistle-blowers on the 1MDB issue, without trial, before releasing them with the sole intent of gaining their silence, according to the report.
It said Najib’s regime was synchronising attacks against opponents with a potentially large electoral budget, with goodies in store akin to Singapore’s goods and services tax rebate and vouchers, that would be presented in October.
Dr Mahathir has drawn massive crowds at rallies, where he has been calling on the Malays to oust Najib in the next general election.
Noting Dr Mahathir’s failed attempt to remove two members of the RCI, the report said this would likely mean that GE14 would not be held before mid-November, to enable the commission to complete its task.
It said the mainstream media would likely be used to support “every single victory of the Najib camp and lambast every setback by the Mahathir camp” during the RCI hearing.
The Najib government is also continuing with its “witch hunt” against its opponents.
Selangor Umno Youth has lodged a report against Menteri Besar Azmin Ali with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over a dispute between Universiti Selangor (Unisel) and its contractor Jana Niaga Sdn Bhd.
The report noted that the MACC had earlier said it would not be interested in cases involving political figures until the GE was over, and that if the MACC were to act against Azmin, it would clearly demonstrate double standards in the judicial process.