Najib’s their man

Two weddings and a crisis: Najib is trying hard to contain the 1MDB crisis amid the backdrop of what might be the

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has had a tough year with issues big and small affecting his public image, but he continues to get full support from Umno.

THERE has been much buzz over the Umno gathering taking place today between Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the party’s division chiefs. Even the foreign media has been pestering Cheras Umno chief Datuk Seri Syed Ali Alhabshee for his views on the meeting.

“I told them, don’t be stupid, none of us are going to ask Najib to step down. We want to tell him that he has our support,” he said.

But the division leaders also want a clearer explanation on the burning issue of the day: 1MDB.

“We need him to distinguish between the rubbish and the facts so that we can explain to the Umno members,” said Syed Ali.

The Cheras strongman is not only a fierce defender of the Umno president, he has also been very vocal about it.

Najib’s daughter Nooryana Najwa is marrying her Kazakhstan beau Daniyar Nazarbayev. Muhyiddin’s daughter Najwa, who studied music in the United States, is marrying Idris Koh Keng Hui, a Malaysian musician. Umno circles are thrilled about the weddings, especially the fact that both Najwas are marrying men outside of their culture.

The wedding of the children of any Umno leader who is worth his or her salt comes in at least three parts. First, there is the akad nikah (solemnisation of vows), followed by a reception for family and friends, and finally a kenduri in their constituency. The last one is often the most important because it is about votes.

Najib has had a tough year. The nuptials will be a brief respite for him but it goes without saying that the wedding celebration will also come under public scrutiny.

> The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.