It Has Been Quite Boring On The Domestic Front Lately, But....

It has been quite boring on the domestic front lately. Ramadan (the Muslim fasting month) had just ended so too had HariRaya Aidifitri, although the Adilfitri celebrations will continue for a month with open houses hosted by Muslim families for their friends, relatives and business partners in the traditional Malaysian way.

It has been boring because for the past week or so, the main stream media (MSM), who many Malaysians  simply call Umno media or mouthpiece, especially Utusan Malaysia, have been doing nothing more notable  than demonising Pas deputy president Mat Sabu for what the latter had allegedly said  in a speech in Penang about the Bukit Kepong incident.

Mat Sabu has now denied that he had ever said anything about the communists in the speech.  Nevertheless, Umno, including deputy prime minister Muhyiddin and a willing coterie of followers continue to come down hard on Mat Sabu, accusing him of glorifying the communists as Malaysia's true freedom fighters and heroes and belittling the local policemen were were killed in the Bukit Kepong incident.

Mat Sabu who had only recently been elected as Pas's deputy president is said to be a maverick who is not afraid to call a spade a spade. With his oratorical skill, he is said to be able to win over the Malay middle ground and this is worrying to the ruling Basrisan coalition especially of course to UMNO who claims to represent the Malays.

But September may be an interesting month too. It is the month when a French court is scheduled to hear the suit brought by a Malaysian NGO, Suaram. The court is set to investigate whether there had been improper payment of fees in the the scandals-tainted purchase by the Malaysian government of two French Scorpene submarines that could not dive but that cost Malaysia several billion Ringgit.

The case is interesting in that the purchase of the two submarines happened during the watch of PM Najib as the then defence minister and the alleged connection to the death of a Mongolian beauty.

What the French court's hearing may turn up may be damning or it may not. Malaysians are waiting to know.

September may also be interesting because  the recent Merdeka Centre poll showed that Najib's popularity rating has plummeted  from 65% to 59%. This has understandably caused concern to UMNO and especially to Najib because the internet is rife with talks that there may be attempts by members of his own party to replace him as the prime minister or for a plan for him to step down by a certain date. Nobody knows for sure whether this is so.

However, as always, sycophants of one stripe or another have come out to say that the Merdeka poll does not reflect reality and that Malaysians should just ignore it.  On the other hand, were the poll to show that Najib's popularity has shot up instead, these same people would be the first to shout that Anwar and the opposition are finished.