The Government of Malaysia (GoM) under the watch of Dr Mahathir Mohamad revoked the Unit Tindak Khas (UTK) services offered to former Malaysian premier Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak.
By denying Najib a security detail, Mahathir appears to be subscribing to the principal that one is “guilty until proven innocent.”
A person of Najib’s stature is likely to be at grave risk particularly since Mahathir himself employs media teams that demonise the former premier to ungodly proportions.
Penang: The Government of Malaysia (GoM) under the watch of Dr Mahathir Mohamad revoked the Unit Tindak Khas (UTK) services offered to former Malaysian premier Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak.
In a statement carried by Malaysiakini yesterday, Mahathir was quoted as saying that Najib did not represent former Malaysian premiers as the latter was under investigation.
The statement has yet to be met with a response from Lim Guan Eng, who, on the 2nd of November 2017, described the ‘revocation’ of “government-issued police bodyguards (for Mahathir) as un-Malaysian and the beginning of “a sad state of affairs” in the country.”
The (then) Chief Minister of Penang was responding to a fake news posting on Mahathir’s Facebook page that accused the Najib administration of revoking his (Mahathir’s) UTK services.
The claim was subsequently rubbished by both the Prime Minister’s Department and the current Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
According to Fuzi, only a few ordinary members of Mahathir’s security detail were returned to base as they had to be reassigned for duties elsewhere.
That was then.
This time around, the Prime Minister himself confirmed the complete revocation of Najib’s security services and breathed new life to Guan Eng’s 2017 “sad state of affairs” prophecy.
The move came amid fears that the country was regressing to pre-millennial Mahathirism, an era where the Prime Minister would exercise absolute discretion in matters of governance and politically persecute his detractors.
By denying Najib security, Mahathir appears to be telling Malaysians that under his watch, “one is guilty until proven innocent.”
But the Prime Minister forgot that UTK services are not provided on the basis of one’s innocence but to ensure that former premiers remain safe given their standing in society.
Moreover, a person of Najib’s stature is likely to be at grave risk particularly since Mahathir himself employs media teams that demonise the former premier to ungodly proportions.
Yet, in spite of all their claims, there isn’t a shred of evidence to show that Najib did indeed dissipate RM42 billion worth of 1MDB funds into thin air.
According to a well-placed source that met The Third Force in Kuala Lumpur, there may be a reason for this.
If what we’re told is true, the ongoing smear campaign against Najib is designed to prevent him from seeking a comeback as party president during the 2019 UMNO election.
We have reason to believe that Mahathir is paving the way for Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to be made UMNO president before effecting crossovers of Pakatan Harapan MPs to UMNO and Barisan Nasional (READ FULL STORY HERE).
