The Janus Mandate

Continuing from my previous post Dr Mahathir reigns supreme ...

The word 'mandate' means several things - as a noun it can mean an authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given by the electorate to its political representative, or in a Christian sense, an instruction by God.

As a verb, ie. 'mandating', it means to make mandatory or compulsory, where in some countries like Australia it is mandatory to vote (or suffer a fine).

It is in its verb form that is related to what I term as The Janus Mandate, or if you like, The Janus Necessity. Perhaps the word 'necessity' may be more appropriate but I like 'mandate' better as it not only sounds more serious wakakaka but also indicates the survival necessity of some in UMNO to possess the Janus syndrome.

But who or what is Janus?

According to Wikipedia, In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, and thereby of gates, doors, doorways, passages and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the past. The Romans named the month of January (Ianuarius) in his honor.

Janus has two faces as compared to Brahma who has four - BTW, guess who is our Malaysian political Brahma? wakakaka.

But let's leave Brahma for now wakakaka, and focus on the UMNO Janus'es, namely Najib and his ally, KJ (and to a lesser extent, Shahrizat).

During the recent UMNO AGM, it was undeniably difficult to promote 'liberal' policies in the face (excuse the pun, wakakaka) of UMNO rightwing screams, railings and demands and an ultra-runaway Ahmad Zahid Hamidi plus a sinister Muhyiddin who, in traditional veiled Malay barb aimed directly at Najib, warned about GE-14 (did he mean without the Sedition Act?), stating:

“If our situation does not get better, if the debates we have had, the talk of rejuvenation did not raise awareness, then we will see a 2% drop in votes and can only win 103 seats.

“Two percent is not much. I do not know if in the following general assemblies, I will even be able to address our president as prime minister any longer, what more myself as deputy prime minister.”

older than Najib but no doubt desperate to be PM before it's too late
rumoured to a Mahathir man

Even though he included himself in the warned future loss, that should be read as just a Malay subtlety to soften or veil his barb at his desired target.

So, notwithstanding the political-electoral fact that Najib as UMNO President made UMNO singularly the strongest political party after the 2013 general elections (putting aside the election failures of MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN kutu parties), he still failed to command the respect (or 'gratitude' wakakaka) of his party, what with someone wakakaka severely and constantly undermining most of his 'liberal' policies and intentions - that 'someone' has been right, that Melayu mudah lupa, even within the time span of just a mere year wakakaka.

Okay, let's re-examine what Najib had achieved in GE-13 to make UMNO singularly the strongest political party after the 2013 general elections?

TMI (31 May 2013) in its Umno emerged the strongest party based on GE13 told us: ... Umno winning 88 of the parliamentary seats in the election, from 79 in the 2008 general election. 

If compared with the opposition, they have 89 seats, meaning Umno alone can equalise the seats won by the opposition allies comprising DAP, PKR and PAS.

But where was it stated that a government elected under a Westminster democracy or any other democracy must achieve a two-thirds majority to be entitled to call itself a stable government, as Dr Mahathir had earlier insisted?

Indeed, given Umno's frightened realization in 2012 and early 2013 of the increasing electoral swing against it, explaining why Mahathir and his Perkasa went hysterical and pounded some of his own Wawasan 2020 ‘Challenges' to smithereens, no BN leader, not even Mahathir himself would have been able to achieve that impossibility of a win with the preposterous two-thirds majority in the 13th general election.

Yes, while Pakatan was making inroads in BN strongholds like Johor and Negri Sembilan, Najib and his team were quietly taking the back lanes and by-roads into Pakatan territory to successfully seize seven seats from PAS in Titiwangsa, Kuala Selangor, Pendang, Padang Terap, Jerai, Sik and Baling and eight from PKR in Balik Pulau, Bagan Serai, Kulim-Bandar Baru, Merbok, Machang, Ketereh, Tanah Merah and Hulu Selangor (won by PKR in 2008 though held by BN in a by-election).

It was then a significant 15-seat harvest for UMNO because it mitigated against the loss of 22 other seats to Pakatan.

Just imagine if he didn't succeed in the above, the final election would have been only 118 seats for BN versus 104 seats for Pakatan, a mere 14-seat difference or only an eight-seat majority to rule.

Najib also ripped back Kedah for BN, which surely would and should have earned the undying gratitude of Daddy Mahathir (but alas not, wakakaka), while holding BN's position in Perlis, Terengganu and to my utter surprise, Perak.

In wrestling back Kedah and holding off Pakatan in Perlis and Terengganu, he basically destroyed the putative ‘Northern Green Crescent' and isolated PAS to only Kelantan.

But, despite Najib's good GE-13 KPA, what could he or his ally KJ do against such a current UMNO rightwing swell? Probably his greatest sin was in not supporting Mukhriz in the latter's bid for a VP position in UMNO (but against his own cousin?). 

DAP sweetie Yeo Bee Hin, Selangor DUN for Damansara Utama wrote in FMT excoriatingly about KJ and Shahrizat possessing Janus syndromes in a piece titled UMNO: A tale of two faces, a syndrome no doubt shared by Najib when he reversed from his earlier promise to replace the Sedition Act with the Harmony Act.

sweetie Yeo Bee Hin in selendang
 guaranteed to send 'someone' wakakaka up the wall

Though their two-face back-flips no doubt make for very bad strategic public image, they have been necessary tactical sense, namely, ensuring their very survival in a feral and panicky party, for waiting in the wings with eager bloodlust and sharpened teeth have been Muhyiddin, Ahmad Zahid and Dr M's boy, ready to give any liberals (be they Najib, KJ or anyone else foolish enough to peddle 'inclusive' no-no's) a brutal mauling and consequential ouster.

Politically I can sympathize with (though not support) the UMNO liberals in their gambit to 'buy time and space', thus I find it quite humorous and undeniably a bit rich for the mainly Chinese public, who have thus far refused to support Najib, to berate him for not keeping his promise about repealing the Sedition Act. They might as well ask Najib to commit suicide, political suicide that is, wakakaka.

Despite the hostile environment, I have to say Najib was brave enough to warn UMNO against marginalizing the Chinese.

It may be worthwhile reminding us of what Zaid Ibrahim said post GE-13.

Zaid Ibrahim, who was former UMNO law minister who resigned from his ministerial position in protest over the draconian detention of Teresa Kok (Pakatan MP), Raja Petra Kamarudin Petra (Malaysia's most famous blogger and political activist) and Tan Hoon Cheng (a journalist in Sin Chew Daily) in 2008 under the Internal Security Act (ISA), said of Najib:

"As a former colleague, I know him to frown on combative politics. He was always more interested in placating and pleasing, but this will not do when dealing with Umno extremists. He tried hard to please them by putting Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin up as election candidates.

"Sometimes his speeches to an Umno audience bear the same uncompromising trademarks that peppered former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Ibrahim's speeches - even Najib's oratory style has been modulated to sound fiery. But I for one still think he has real concern for national unity."

To be continued .....