In politics, timing is everything and the timing for the Allah verdict must be considered a God-send. The people who claimed that there are no smart officials or that civil servants lack team spirit, are wrong.
In the first week of October, the Auditor-General’s report revealed a long list of waste which had cost taxpayers several hundreds of millions of ringgits, created by the government of Najib Tun Razak.
Taxpayers were angry at the mismanagement of funds which ranged from ill-fitting shoes which the Customs department had to bin, to the seas which swallowed up weapons belonging to the police; from the RM11 million payment to Telecoms Malaysia, to the four-day study trip to Switzerland by a government official, which cost the taxpayer RM300,000.
In the second week of October, when he tried to justify the police losses, which amounted to RM1.3 million, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dug a hole so deep than he risked burying himself in it. In retaliation to repeated criticism from opposition politicians, activists and columnists, he threatened that he would shut down the papers, if they fabricated reports about him.
Little did the Home Minister realise that any news item about him, would look ridiculous anyway, and needed no ‘spinning’. He did himself more damage, when he proclaimed himself judge, jury and executioner and he further damaged his reputation when he aligned himself with some of the gangs which had been terrorising Malaysia.
The taxpayers reacted again, this time their venom was directed at Zahid’s ‘Shoot First’ policy and questioned his credibility. Zahid had to dodge more barbs, about his gang affiliation and police procedures.
In the third week of October, the questions about the multi-million ringgit losses, caused by corrupt officials and incompetent civil servants and ministers, vaporised. Umno Baru ministers breathed a sigh of relief.
Why? The Allah debacle, a timely smokescreen to distract us, came at a crucial time, just as our queries about the Auditor-General’s report were building up to a crescendo. The government managed to sweep all its wrongdoings under the big ministerial carpet at Putrajaya. Very convenient!
How was this possible? We must credit Syed Hamid Albar, the former home minister who opened this Pandora’s box. Back in 2009, during the run-up to the Umno Baru general assembly, in March, Syed Hamid wanted to be noticed by Najib and be retained in the Cabinet after Najib’s ministerial reshuffle in April 2009.
Earlier, in February 2009, Syed Hamid had lifted the ban on the word Allah, which the Catholic newsletter, The Herald wanted to use. Days later, he rescinded his decision.
Syed Hamid’s ploy back-fired because he was dropped by Najib, but since then Malaysians have been saddled with the Allah debacle.
The Allah debacle is kept on the back burner and it will be brought to the boil whenever Umno Baru needs to deflect attention from a major scandal or a gaffe by one of its politicians.
If you recall, Syed Hamid is the chairman of the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and once said that he did not have the power to fine or dismiss inefficient public transport companies. In an interview with FMT, he lamely asked: “What do you want us to do?”
His lacklustre performance as foreign minister was also demonstrated in an interview by BBC Hardtalk in 2007. He kept interrupting interviewer, Sarah Montague, and when he could think of no credible answer, would say, “Don’t get excited, don’t get emotional…” When pressed on the racist practices in our government, he would deflect her questioning, and keep referring to Israel or other nations.
In 2008, Syed Hamid, as home minister, ordered the arrest of the Sin Chew Daily reporter, Tan Hoon Cheng, under the Internal Security Act. He claimed that her arrest was for ‘her own safety’. Tan had been arrested because she had reported the alleged racist remarks made by Bukit Bendera Umno Baru chief, Ahmad Ismail.
In February 2009, A Kugan died while in police custody. Syed Hamid urged the people “not to make heroes out of criminals.” There was another public outcry, because Kugan had only been a suspect and had not been in trouble with the law before.
Yesterday, as the nation became embroiled in yet another saga, Syed Hamid brushed aside criticism directed at him, for his role in the Allah issue.
Syed Hamid sees himself as the champion of the Malays but more importantly, he strongly believes that he is the defender of the faith. He claims that Malays are confused and the Muslims need protecting.
Some cynics will say, like father, like son. Syed Hamid’s father is Syed Jaafar Alba, whom many critics claim was one of the original Malay ultras.
Muhyiddin Yassin is infamous for his remark “Malay first, Malaysian second”, but in the 60s, Syed Jaafar had declared, “Wherever I am, I am a Malay”. Syed Jaafar had also referred to the Chinese Malaysians as ‘pendatang’.
Syed Jaafar does not come across as a pleasant man. In the book, ‘The Reluctant Politician’ by Dr Ooi Kee Beng, which was about the life of Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, the deputy prime minister from 1969-1973, Dr Ismail criticised Syed Jaafar for his poor timekeeping.
Dr Ismail had also inferred that if Syed Jaafar had entered the parliamentary debate on the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, there was a high risk that both Sabah and Sarawak would have joined Singapore and come out of the federation.
Forty eight years later, Syed Jaafar’s son, Syed Hamid, risks repeating his father’s folly, with the Allah debacle and perhaps, motivate the people of Sabah and Sarawak to claim independence from Malaysia.
Syed Hamid, like most Umno Baru politicians never thinks about the consequences of his words or actions. He is motivated by greed and the burning desire for political power. It is all about self first, party second, the nation last. Religious tolerance and racial unity mean nothing to them.
Over three millennia ago, another defender of the faith, Moses, used his staff to divide the Red Sea and clear a path, so that the Israelites could flee from the Egyptian Army. Today, all Syed Hamid has done is to divide Malaysians – East and West Malaysians, Muslims and non-Muslims, conservative Muslims and more tolerant Muslims. Syed Hamid is no defender of Islam. He is just a red herring and a defender of Umno Baru.
By Mariam Mokhtar, FMT columnist
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