No closure for Umno and Daim

“I THOUGHT such things only happen in movies.”

That was what a lawyer said when he read that the legal counsel for the late Tun Daim Zainuddin had objected to the prosecution’s move to drop the criminal charge against the man once described as Malaysia’s economic wizard.

“I’ve never seen such a thing in my career, just like a movie,” said the lawyer who was both stunned and amused.

Most defence counsel would have been relieved to see their client discharged and acquitted in court but not in this case.

Daim’s family wanted the case to proceed and his widow Toh Puan Naimah Khalid insisted it was Daim’s wish for the case to go on because the family intended to prove his innocence.

He was charged in January with not complying with a notice to declare his assets, including luxury vehicles, companies, and properties across Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Perak, and Kedah.

The prosecution had argued it would be unconstitutional to go on, attributing what happened to fate. However, the case against Naimah and other family members will continue.

The family can hardly be blamed for feeling they have been wronged now that the allegations of wrongdoing cannot be refuted and will forever hang over them like a grey cloud.

However, Naimah has turned out to be one feisty lady - some have described her as a fighting cock - and we can expect more fireworks from her.

“Daim’s legacy is a mixed bag of the good and brilliant as well as the controversial and questionable but there is no denying that he was somewhat diminished in his final days by the charges brought against him,” said political commentator Ivanpal S. Grewal.

Some thought the protestations were an attempt to show that Daim had nothing to hide and was confident of clearing his name. Besides, the family had made it clear from the start that they regarded the charge to be politically motivated.

One thing that stood out amid the reaction to his death was the deafening silence from the Umno rank and file.

The Malays are famous for showing empathy in times of death, sickness and tragedy but Daim’s passing drew a stoney reaction from Umno politicians.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir was arguably the only top Umno figure seen at Daim’s home whereas Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi did not go beyond a formal condolence poster on Instagram.

Ironically, it was the Pakatan Harapan politicians who posted touching tributes of how Daim had helped them in the 2018 general election. Former Batu MP Tian Chua described Daim, who had personally campaigned for Chua, as a brilliant mind who was pivotal in the 2018 regime change.

There is still a great deal of hurt and rancour about the role Daim and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad played in bringing down Barisan Nasional.

It is also no secret that Ahmad Zahid and Datuk Seri Najib Razak blamed the pair for their legal woes.

“The younger leaders were unsure how to react. Daim was a big name in Umno but that was all so long ago. This is a different generation, there is a disconnect and many of them were looking to the party president for signals,” said Umno politician Ainul Aizat Ahmad Ishak.

But it was quite a different story for the senior Umno figures.

“We sympathise when someone dies. But you have to understand there is still a lot of emotion over how the two Tuns suddenly packed their bags to team up with Pakatan to pull us down. The cut is so deep, the scar will always be there,” said Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin.

Sharkar’s generation were the ones who stood behind them in their heyday only to see them destroy the party later on.

“They were the grand old men of Umno politics and for them to turn around and work with Umno’s foes, the hurt has not gone away. It explains the muted reaction,” said political risk consultant Datuk Wan Ahmad Shihab Wan Ismail.

But as some have pointed out, it is unfair to blame Umno’s demise on the pair because the Umno house was already teetering on damaged pillars.

Many in Umno also believe Daim was the “ATM machine” for Pakatan in the 2018 general election although one Pakatan politician joked that most of them could not find the password to the “ATM machine”. He was also said to have funded a certain party led by a young politician to the tune of several million ringgit.

“It’s a misconception. He was very rich but also very tight when it came to money. To me, his strategic thinking was more valuable to us,” said Chua.

Some in Umno found the tributes from Pakatan leaders to be “too much” and “fake” after the way they had demonised him over the years.

“I am not surprised by the silence in Umno. Daim and Mahathir do not have many friends left in the party,” said an aide to a Johor leader.

For those in politics, there is a lesson in the way Umno leaders have handled these two political giants. Despite the bitterness and resentment towards them, Umno leaders rarely attack them in a public fashion.

This is especially true when it comes to Dr Mahathir. The Malay culture would have frowned on any sort of disrespectful behaviour towards the elderly man whatever his faults and mistakes.

The Umno crowd tends to keep its distance and hold their tongue no matter what Dr Mahathir says or does these days.

And as the final chapter between Daim and Umno has shown, silence spoke louder than words.

It is said that time heals everything but, sometimes, even death cannot heal.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own