SOMEBODY must be sweating in Putrajaya.

After spending loads of money on election banners and flags, branding, advertisements on a confetti of media platforms, high-priced consultants from London and election goodies, Najib Razak is unsure if he can achieve a decisive victory over a 93-year-old pensioner.

As it stands today, a slim victory is on the cards, but Barisan Nasional’s popular support is likely to be around 40%. In short, six out of 10 Malaysians will reject Najib and BN.

An upset is still a possibility if the wave of support seen in urban centres cascades to the back of beyond. This scenario explains why Najib is sweating 48 hours before the big day.

Sweating sufficiently enough, that he and his operators had to persuade former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to issue a patronising statement aimed at ‎getting Malaysians to vote for the status quo.

That statement was as popular as breathing the same air as Jamal Md Yunos, and has hurt the image and reputation of Abdullah.

If that statement annoyed us yesterday, today’s YouTube clip of Tony Fernandes smacked of real desperation. The AirAsia boss and the Najib administration have not had the best of relationships, with Putrajaya upset with Fernandes’ propensity to make public his disagreements with government agencies.

But I guess when you are unpopular, you have to cling on to someone who is popular, and pray that some of his gold dust comes your way. So, Najib turned to Fernandes.

Fernandes, who knows that he can’t operate in Malaysia without the help of the government, said yes.

It is one thing to support Najib, but totally out of order to disrespect the Malaysian voter. In his haste to score points with Najib and gang, he showed complete disdain for the Malaysian voter – the same individuals who have made him a very, very rich man.

He urged Malaysians to vote based on facts and not hearsay.

How condescending!

Isn’t it a fact that the rising cost of living is hurting a large swathe of Malaysians‎?

Isn’t it a fact that billions of ringgit have been siphoned from 1Malaysia Development Bhd?

Are you saying the millions of Malaysians who support the opposition have been hoodwinked and do not have the ability to decide the future of the country?

Najib and friends know that the AirAsia boss has a great following on social media and is held in high esteem by Malaysians. They hope that his video clip will turn some of his followers into Najib supporters on May 9.

But what this strategy did not take into account is the mood of change on the ground, and the fact that Malaysians can smell a con job from a mile way.

Yes, many of us respect Fernandes for building up AirAsia into a world-class name.

But, we also understand that he is not one of us.

We want a better Malaysia.

He wants to prop up a corrupt regime. – May 7, 2018.