Najib can leave the Ku Li way or the Mahathir way

Raub MP, Ariff Sabri says Ku Li's speech was an offer for the PM to leave without being hurt by Mahathir.  FMT Reporters

 | March 20, 2015 | March 20, 2015

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is finished, but he has the choice of leaving on his own terms or in disgrace, according to Raub MP Ariff Sabri.

“Najib can leave the Ku Li way or the Mahathir way,” Ariff says in a blog posting that interprets Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s recent speech in Parliament as being aimed at “enticing the tiger to leave its mountain lair”.

“Understand the purpose of the speech,” he says. “It’s the same as Mahathir asking Najib to leave, but done in a more subtle way.”

He says if Najib leaves office the “Ku Li way”, he does so on his terms, whereas if leaves on Mahathir’s terms, he will be “utterly disgraced”.

He claims that the Mahathir faction is ready to deliver the final blow.

“Mahathir doesn’t need 154 division heads; he only needs about 30 powerful Umno leaders to deliver the final blow.

“Mahathir accepts that Najib has the power to patronize and buy out some Umno leaders and keep them on his side. But Najib can’t buy out everyone. Those not buyable, who simply hate Najib knowing the mess he and his wife have created, are sufficient for Mahathir to carry out the political assassination. They will simply present Najib with some irrefutable proof of Najib’s darkest secrets.”

Ariff discloses, without giving much detail, that “Najib sent some people to ask Ku Li not to savage him” before the Gua Musang MP delivered his speech. “Ku Li responded by telling the messenger to listen to the speech first,” he says.

He also discloses that Tengku Razaleigh chose not to read the final paragraph of the original speech, which would effectively have been a declaration that he was leaving Umno.

“Indeed, if one reads the speech as a whole,” he says, “it’s a challenge for Umno to sack Ku Li. Here is someone from Umno disagreeing on all Umno’s agenda, including objecting to the PM serving as Finance Minister. The speech challenges the Umno MPs in particular to give qualified loyalty to the party and leader. It’s a call for mutiny.”

He says Tengku Razaleigh was also sending out a message that he could be a “reasonable and personable ally” to Najib against the Mahathir forces and that if he has to leave office, he could at least deny victory to Mahathir.

“If Mahathir’s faction wins,” Ariff says, “Najib and Rosmah and the army of hangers on are finished. They will be shown no mercy.

“Whether Najib likes it or not, he has to leave, resign or retire. He can be expected to do that within a few months after the wedding of his daughter.

“Ku Li’s measured and controlled speech sends a signal to Najib that he has an honourable way to leave while denying victory to Mahathir and his faction. If he fails to understand the message in Tengku Razaleigh’s speech, he will be kicked out of office in disgrace. He will just be shown the most damaging of evidence concerning several things.”

Ariff says Najib will volunteer to resign when Mahathir’s faction presents him with these pieces of evidence and threatens to expose them to the public.

“Najib now has two choices. He can leave via the soft and refined approach which Tengku Razaleigh offers. Or he can submit to the language of force that only a stubborn and incompetent person like him understands.

“Najib’s legion of boorish hangers-on and apple polishers must quickly persuade him to negotiate with Tengku Razaleigh. Otherwise Najib’s exit will be very hurtful.

“Tengku Razaleigh will emerge as the king maker. Spurn him, Razaleigh will migrate to the Mahathir faction. Mahathir, on his part, has no choice but to finally acknowledge that Razaleigh is the man.”