CONTRARY to what Abraham Lincoln may have said, that democracy means the “rule of the people, by the people, for the people”, the actual essence of a genuine democracy is the willingness of the ruling party to risk an electoral defeat. Indeed, to hand over power peacefully.

If the elections are constantly rigged, as they are allegedly by Umno through various underhanded moves that includes, but not limited to, gerrymandering, manipulated postal votes and use or abuse of government apparatus and assets, to perpetuate their power, then democracy carries zero meaning, as the reigning government would win any contest time and again.

But Umno appears determined to load the dice. This time around, however, it has even latched on to the logic and language of the Nazi party. Not unlike Adolf Hitler, under the presidency of Najib Razak Umno has declared that it ” will rule for over 1,000 years.”

The parallel with Hitler and the Nazi party is both stark and stunning. This is precisely what Hitler and the Nazi party had wanted, even dragging Europe and Asia into World War 2.

Indeed, Najib’s speech at the Umno general assembly also showed the depths to which he and Umno had descended. Power must be had for power’s sake. Nevertheless, this is where Najib has run afoul of divine law, for only God can rule in eternity. Those that attempt to usurp the role of God will become blind and misguided when they overstays their welcome.

The Quran says in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:17-20) that when God removes  guidance from the people, that includes the leaders, those who are lost will only see when strobes of lightning strike. When the lightning dissipates, the vision is gone.

Umno is now in such a state, as is PAS, a party that has misused Islam at will for its narrow political gains.

But back to the comparison to the Nazi party, as the lesson is striking. When Hitler was released from jail after an unsuccessful coup in the German parliament, he decided to seize power constitutionally rather than by force of arms. 

Using fiendish and fiery rhetoric – as Najib and his ilk appear to do in Umno through prepared speeches – Hitler, through his natural oratorical skills, sought to demonise anyone and everyone opposed to the Nazi party in Germany. 

Najib in his speech at the Umno general assembly, did not spare anyone. The obvious enemies were the leaders of Bersatu and DAP. Broadsides were aimed at Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Muhyiddin Yassin and Mukhriz Mahathir. 

Even Anwar Ibrahim, who is still recovering from shoulder surgery at hospital while still serving his jail sentence, was not spared. Why such animosity?

Clearly, Najib knows that the ground has moved decisively against him and Umno. He is haunted by the spectre of defeat in the next general election. And, it is not just him, but Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Wanita Umno head and Khairy Jamaluddin, the Umno Youth chief, too.

Just imagine Shahrizat actually equated Najib to the legendary Sultan Salahuddin Al Ayubi, who ruled from Syria to Libya (1174-1193), including Palestine and Egypt, and the conqueror of Jerusalem.

To see why this comparison is devoid of any truth, we just have to read what the authoritative scholar of Islam, Abul Hassan Al Nadvi wrote about Salahuddin Al Ayubi : “a devout Muslim he was, the dominant point of his character were an acute sense of justice, charitableness, tenderheartedness, patience and courage while he kept himself immersed in the recollection of God”.

A little bit more reading on Salahuddin Al Ayubi, will reveal that he was a true man of God, who ensured himself, his aides and soldiers behaved in compliance to the divine dictates of shariah in all spheres of life – spiritual, moral and material. When Salahuddin Al Ayubi died, despite reigning over Syria to Libya, including Palestine and Egypt, he left behind nothing except a dinar and 47 dirhams. Nothing else. Zilch. No palatial palaces, no pink diamonds, no secret chambers of gold, no nothing. In fact he had not left enough to even defray his burial expenses.

Knowing these undisputable historical facts, can Najib be equated to Salahuddin Al Ayubi ? Was Shahrizat fair in her comparison? Apple polishing leaders to score points is quite the norm in Umno, but this was certainly a new low ever in the history of its general assembly.

Even Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the de facto deputy president of Umno, had to finesse his speech at the general assembly. Zahid affirmed that gaining both the popular vote and a two-thirds parliamentary majority is now an impractical probability. 

Coming from Zahid, the Home Minister who has regular access to intelligence from the field, this is the closest admission that Umno and Barisan National are in a deep creek.

Najib clearly took Zahid’s warning to heart, which is why he went for “shock and awe tactics” at the general assembly, certainly to bay for the blood of the opposition. But the use of a “1,000-year Reich” rhetoric is telling. It reflects a leader who was schooled in England but has lost all political sensibilities. Instead of a Churchill-like speech, Najib took on the persona of Hitler instead.

Using demagoguery, Hitler spoke to massive audiences, calling on the German people to resist the yoke of Jews and communists, and to create a new empire that would rule the world for 1,000 years. Najib played the same tune.

His pursuit of a “1,000-year Reich” is nothing less than an admission that Umno has failed, and that only a fascist kind of government will succeed. 

In a fascist government, the people, including the opposition, are of course incidental. In fact, they are neither significant nor important. Lastly, truth is labelled as fake news.

Evidently, if “mere lies do not succeed, one must lie to the people again and again” as Hitler’s propaganda chief Paul Joseph Goebbels once affirmed. Goebbels said that “it would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words can be molded until they clothe ideas and disguise.”

He further added that “a lie told once remains a lie but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth”.

Goebbels then concluded by stating “if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself”.

It seems Najib must have taken crash course on propaganda from Goebbels. However, Najib must have missed one important statement that Goebbels made: “there will come a day, when all the lies will collapse under their own weight, and the truth will again triumph.”

In Goebbels case, it did. Following Hitler’s suicide, Goebbels served as Chancellor of Germany for a single day before, he and his wife, Magda, poisoned their six children and took their own lives, as the truth did triumph over the weight of all the lies as he had predicted.

At the Umno general assembly, which ironically will see the beginning of its end – rather than the beginning of a long rule – lies were larded in speech after speech on the floor.

Even songstress Sheila Majid’s lament that the cost of living in Malaysia has reached unacceptable heights was rejected, all to support Najib’s fantasy narrative that Malaysia is all good and well.

When the followers are deaf, mute and dumb, the leaders may be lulled into a state of false confidence. But in Najib’s case, the concurrent fear of losing power, and the hubris that only he, and he alone, must rule Malaysia, has led him and his party on a Hitlerian path.

God save Malaysia. – December 9, 2017.

* Dr Rais Hussin is a supreme council member of Bersatu and heads its Policy and Strategy Bureau.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.