In Zahid we trust?

The invincibility of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak looks less convincing with each passing week as pressure mounts from within and outside the country for him to step down.

From Altantuya Shaariibuu’s long shadows to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the plunging ringgit, yellow/red-shirt rallies and now open friction in the reshuffled Cabinet, it’s one blow after another to Najib’s grip on power.

The government’s response to the Chinese ambassador’s visit and remarks in Petaling Street has been at best, confusing and badly handled.

The contradictory statements by various ministers make you wonder who was calling the shots in Putrajaya while the PM was away busy spruiking Malaysia in the United States.

Now that the ambassador has given his side to the unfortunate episode to Wisma Putra, will the detractors, in particular the Umno hardliners, let the matter rest or press further for an apology failing which his expulsion from the country as demanded by Utusan Malaysia?

This incident, like many things Malaysian, invariably has strong racial undertones that should have been consigned to the footnotes of history, yet it seems to fester in the country.

The politics of race and religion, no matter how unpalatable some may find it, is still par for the course until such time the rakyat rejects it wholesomely.

To ensure his political survival, Najib has increasingly turned to defining the nation’s problems along racial lines as this is a well-worn script that has sustained Umno’s supremacy in the country.

For instance, his not-so-subtle endorsement of the red-shirt rally is merely playing to gallery to maximise his credentials as the sole champion and benefactor of the Malays.

But how long will the community continue to be mesmerised by the rhetoric of race and religion before the penny drops?

And what does the Umno polity want: stick with Najib for short-term gains and risk a public backlash in GE14 or dump the PM who has become a political liability to give the party a better fighting chance?

An exit plan that leaves Najib safe and secure before the next general election is the most plausible outcome. It is one that will no doubt involve much backstage manoeuvring and horse-trading, if it has not been set in motion already.

Central to the scheme will be Najib’s replacement as PM, and his deputy Zahid is a prime candidate who could appease the various Umno factions, probably even Mahathir’s camp which is bitterly opposed to Najib.

Zahid has hitherto been a dependable and forceful (arrogant in some circles) deputy to the prime minister and he also doubles as home minister, an immensely powerful portfolio with the police force under his watch.

Controversies are nothing new to the boy from Bagan Datoh and a one-time comrade of former deputy prime minister and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Allegations of his association with “gangsters” abound, including his much-ridiculed letter to the FBI to clear a Malaysian organised crime figure being investigated in US for running an illegal gambling ring.

His brashness came to the fore soon after taking office as the home minister when he famously described Malaysians as not happy with politics in the country as disloyal and bluntly told them to ship out.

Zahid has been unable to shake off the “racist” label despite attempts to paint himself as someone close to other communities as he speaks Chinese and had been brought up by a Chinese foster family.

Addressing a mooncake festival gathering in Kuching last week, the DPM implored that he is not a racist and there is “no racism” or “racial polarisation” in the country.

Does anyone buy that? It simply beggars belief. Contrary to his pronouncement race-relations has gone backwards, and intensified in the past few months.

The DPM has also been highly critical of online alternative media and wants them to emulate the mainstream media for their “fair and balanced” coverage.

How bizarre. If the mainstream media had been “fair and balanced” the alternative media would not have taken off in such a spectacular way to attract such a large and growing audience.

The newspapers, radio and TV stations have not lived up to the expectations of the people whose only recourse is to turn to the new media in droves to seek what the mainstream media have failed to provide.

What’s in store then for Malaysians with Zahid at the helm? There is much to chew on. – October 2, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.