Mahathir ignores UMNO Omertà

Just now I read my Facebook matey's post which says:

prior to GE14 he infuriated Mahathir for being too nice to Chinese

Najib's biggest mistake is he did NOT finish off Mahathir and his family plus all his political enemies when he had the chance. He decided to spare them instead of massacring them. And now Najib is paying for the price of his bad judgement. You must never show your enemies any mercy.

Wakakaka.

Let me analyse the above carefully, especially the verdict on Najib's "bad judgement" even though at first glance there seems to be mucho Truth in the summarisation.

If any of you recall, Muhyiddin said after he was expelled from UMNO on 24 June 2016 that Najib called him to his (Najib's) office to inform him of the bad news but did not look at him in the face while murmuring something inaudibly.

Muhyiddin then asked Najib (words to the effect) "Am I being sacked?" and noted that Najib, still with eyes averted, nodded abashedly.

It was indicative of a man (Najib) who didn't have the guts, heart or willingness to tell someone unpleasant or harsh, or was not used to using blunt, acrimonious or hurtful reprimands or words against a colleague, unlike draconian monstrous Mahathir.

It could be said that Najib resembles his nice and gentle mum, Tun Rahah binti Mohamed Noah, much more than his dad who my uncle said was a cold fish.

Thus Najib suffers from two factors that prevented him from 'massacring' Mahathir when he had the chance - though it's too late now as Mahathir definitely won't be like him as the Old Man not only considers Najib a political foe but also a bête noire (pet hate, abomination) for not supporting son Mukhriz's entry into UMNO Vice Presidency group, vital to be UMNO President and then PM of Malaysia, and for ignoring the Old Man's demand for Najib to report to him regularly. 

Recall the Old Man complaining that then-PM Najib did not "report" to him for more than 6 months, and also claiming Najib as "one of his two successors", wakakaka - the preposterous pompous power-crazed Dictator who had the bloody brazen bizarre belief he was Najib's predecessor, meaning he anointed Najib himself.

As mentioned above, Najib suffers from two factors that prevented him from 'massacring' Mahathir when he had the chance.

One factor would/could be his innate 'softness' - call it 'gutlessness', 'foolishness' or whatever you like if you are so inclined. Najib was(is?) just too soft to 'massacre' Mahathir considering he couldn't even look at Muhyiddin in the eye when about to inform Moody he was being sacked from UMNO.

The second factor was what I would term as the UMNO Omertà. To explain what this is, let us revisit the time of AAB, wakakaka

Ten years ago Ong Kian Ming and Onn Yeoh jointly wrote an article Why doesn't Pak Lah fight back? (extracts):

... we have an embattled prime minister who has opted to remain in 'elegant silence' mode even as his Nemesis goes all out to topple him. Yes, we are talking about Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Dr Mahathir Mohamad, respectively. […]

It's hard to comprehend why he doesn't just come out swinging. It would not be too difficult for him as the prime minister to ask the Anti-Corruption Agency, which comes under his purview, to investigate the various alleged misdeeds of Mahathir during his 22 years in power.

If Abdullah can't remember or is not aware of what those alleged misdeeds are, there are at least 82 members of parliament who would be more than happy to help compile a long laundry list for him.

Well, point No 1 (about using the ACA, today's MACC) – ever heard of the term ‘Omertà’?

ask Lim Kit Siang why he has now stopped ranting about Mahathir's scandals after 30+ years of that diatribe?

It's a kind of Omertà, not quite UMNO-ish, but nonetheless an Omertà between LKS & Mahathir

wakakaka

You have? Then that’s that answer to why AAB restrained himself. If you don't, here's what Wikipedia (selected extracts) has to say (extracts):

The basic principle of omertà is that it is not "manly" to seek aid from legally constituted authorities to settle personal grievances.

The suspicion of being a cascittuni (an informant) constitutes the blackest mark against manhood..... An individual who has been wronged is obligated to look out for his own interests by avenging that wrong himself or finding a patron but not the state to do the job.

Omertà implies "the categorical prohibition of cooperation with state authorities or reliance on its services, even when one has been victim of a crime."

A person should absolutely avoid interfering in the business of others and should not inform the authorities of a crime under any circumstances, but if it is justified, he may personally avenge a physical attack on himself or on his family by vendetta, literally a taking of revenge, a feud.

Omertà is an extreme form of loyalty and solidarity in the face of authority. One of its absolute tenets is that it is deeply demeaning and shameful to betray even one's deadliest enemy to the authorities. For that reason, many Mafia-related crimes go unsolved. 

It has also been described as follows: "Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without police protection is both. It is as cowardly to betray an offender to justice, even though his offences be against yourself, as it is not to avenge an injury by violence. It is dastardly and contemptible in a wounded man to betray the name of his assailant, because if he recovers, he must naturally expect to take vengeance himself."

And did you think the RCI during Najib's time to probe into the Forex scandal was serious? Was he ready to break the UMNO Omertà, an unwritten code of honour amongst those members who don't "tell" on another member, no matter how acrimonious their personal or even professional relationships might be?

In my opinion, the FOREX RCI during Najib's time was only a barking-threat and not a genuine vicious attempt to kowtim you-know-who.

Thus the UMNO Omertà played as a powerful aegis (clan protection) for Mahathir and his multi-fold scandals, a code which AAB and Najib both dared not violate or chose not to violate.

Athena's Aegis (divine shield) 

Then there’s a Chinese saying, “Never sh*t on your own doorstep.” And to cap it all off, the Mat Salleh advises “People who live in glass houses janganlah buang batu.”

Wakakaka.

Point No 2, about the 82 Pakatan members of parliament who would be more than happy to help compile a long laundry list for him, surely Ong KM and Onn Yeoh must be kidding.

All the ‘elegant silence’ and survival skills of AAB wouldn’t have saved him if he had resorted to such opposition help to destroy a former UMNO leader with a standing of 22 years leadership. He’ll be hated not only by die-hard UMNO-istas but also the greater Malay community for such treachery.

Instead of those now-mythical 82 Pakatan MPs who would have helped AAB, why not ask Lim Kit Siang today why he is dumb as a mute stung by a tebuan about Mahathir's scandals that he (LKS) was raving and ranting for more than 30 years?

Today the DAP loudmouth dares not even tell Mahathir the latter was wrong in equating government refusal to recognise the UEC with alleged racial economic disparity.

Yes, I suspect LKS is observant of a possible quasi-Omertà-ish pact between him and Mahathir, which AAB and Najib were committed to.

However, today I believe the greater Malay society hasn't quite forgiven or is willing to forgive Mahathir, which may explain his political behaviour and proclivities in PH in an effort to re-burnish his by-now very much tarnished Malay-ness and Pribumi credentials.

In those days Ong KM and Onn in their analysis used only western logic but failed to consider the important Malay (UMNO) factor. But AAB was/is a man steeped in Malay tradition. I am still inclined to think he’s the consummate Malay politician, quiet, courteous, and at times a wee condescending but a master of 'palace intrigues' and very 'silat-ish', wakakaka.

But yes, Omertà, something AAB and Najib observed but which Mahathir has and did not.

OMERTA: CODE OF SILENCE

HE WHO IS DEAF, BLIND, AND SILENT WILL LIVE

I am not suggesting that the UMNO Omertà is correct nor legal and to be strictly observed, but only to point out Mahathir, who among all UMNO Presidents (and PMs) didn't and doesn't give a sh*t as he went about destroying Anwar, AAB and Najib, and worse of all, his own party UMNO, twice at that.

Was/is it because he is not really a Melayu but a Mamak? Wakakaka.

Related:

The UMNO man who destroyed UMNO again and again