War of words over Najib's house arrest issue

The fire is still burning over the celebration by DAP leaders and heartache for Umno and Najib's family over the court's decision to disallow the former prime minister to serve his sentence from home.

DID anyone really believe that the man known as Bossku would be returning home to serve the rest of his corruption sentence?

Apparently, many in Umno thought it was possible or, at least, prayed and hoped for it.

They were disappointed when the High Court found the royal addendum granting house arrest for Datuk Seri Najib Razak to be constitutionally invalid.

But it was not until DAP's publicity secretary and Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin took to Facebook to "celebrate" the court decision that war broke out, so to speak.

Her one-line comment, "Another reason to celebrate this year end," on the court ruling was the spark that lit a forest fire in Umno and the fire is still raging.

Actually, what Yeo said reflects the sentiments of many ordinary people out there who have been critical of what they see as special treatment for Najib whose sentence was halved by the Pardons Board.

There would have been a different kind of outrage had the High Court ruled otherwise and it would have rocked the Madani government like a massive earthquake.

"Umno inflated its hope that DSNR (Najib) would win his case. When the decision turned out otherwise, the judge and an MP became their punching bag," said former Selangor DAP leader Datuk Teng Chang Khim.

DAP leaders can hardly be blamed for their sense of victory given that a large part of Pakatan Harapan's journey to Putrajaya was a result of exposing Najib's part in the 1MDB scandal.

However, Yeo's choice of words went against what is commonly known as the "kesian" or empathy culture of Malay society.

A well-known former journalist captured her foot-in-the-mouth moment rather well: "Highly educated, zero sensitivity, zero empathy, zero sensibility".

It was not on for a public figure like her to revel in the misfortune of others and it explains why DAP leaders struggle to win over the Malays.

Some even claimed that Yeo, who comes from humble origins in Bakri, Johor, has lost touch with ordinary people after marrying into one of the richest families in the country.

Yeo's Facebook post drew close to 13,000 likes and over 16,000 comments, almost all criticising her or her party.

Yeo's "sifu" or mentor Tony Pua was even fiercer, saying there was no need to show sympathy for the "biggest crook in Malaysia".

Pua, a former MP and political secretary to Lim Guan Eng, was a leading voice in exposing the 1MDB scandal. He remained defiant and declared that he looked forward to Najib's next conviction.

The court decision gave a boost to DAP, which has been in a bad place since their defeat in the Sabah election.

However, it is a blow for the Umno leadership who argued that working with Pakatan in the same government would help to free Najib.

It was ironic that Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was among the first to lash out, telling DAP not to pour oil on fire.

Just a week earlier, the Deputy Prime Minister had been at the forefront in defending the appointment of DAP's Hannah Yeoh as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories).

Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan went a step further, saying: "I am also waiting to celebrate when the High Court rules on the Penang undersea tunnel."

Will it lead to cracks in the unity government?

DAP's priority is to make sure that the Chinese do not disembark the Pakatan train in the next general election.

DAP leaders promised reforms in six months time and letting Najib go home would derail their plan.

The party regards the house arrest issue as a red line that cannot be crossed. But haven't they crossed the red line sitting at the same table as Ahmad Zahid, whom they once dedicated the "Hoi hoi ya hoi" song about corruption?

Politics in the last few years has been a confusing mess of contradictions.

For instance, we have a minister who once campaigned against the prime minister taking on the finance portfolio and who now sits across the Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister without a murmur.

"They are punching each other in public. Behind the scenes, they wag the tail. That is how they keep the audience glued to the TV," said a PKR leader from Perak referring to a well-known diversionary tactic.

Some even think that not all Umno leaders want to see Najib go home, where he might grow into an alternative leadership figure in Umno.

It may destabilise Umno where cracks are silently forming over the leadership's insistence on working with DAP in the general election.

Ahmad Zahid has tried to downplay the issue, saying that the cooperation is based on a coalition basis but very few are buying that argument.

Perhaps a bigger problem for Umno is to counter the perception that the court decision is a slight against the authority of the Malay Rulers. Those who do not go into the details of the judgement are likely to see it that way.

"The Malays have already turned against Umno in the last general election. My concern is that Umno members may take their anger to the ballot box," said Segamat deputy chief Datuk Bastien Onn.

Najib may be a kleptocrat and the "biggest crook in Malaysia" but the problem is that DAP leaders do not realise that many Malays in the kampung areas feel that their lives were less difficult under him.

The intelligentsia's approach to politics tends to be about principles and goals but the ordinary folk measure politics for what it can bring to their everyday lives.

Meanwhile, another significant court decision looms on Friday when the High Court will deliver its verdict on the six-year-long 1MDB corruption trial.

Will there be more celebration for DAP and more heartache for Umno?

The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own