THE National Security Council Act was created by the Barisan Nasional government out of a desperate need to keep its hold on power.

The then prime minister Najib Razak declared that BN would defend Putrajaya even with broken bones and crushed bodies. Then, as soon as the NSC became law, albeit without the Agong’s consent, he said he now “felt secure”.

The law had nothing to do with preserving the country’s security. There are other laws that can take care of that, but those laws could not take care of BN’s hold on power.

BN, and especially Umno, was aware that its popularity was on the decline. Two previous elections had clearly shown this. So, for the third time, i.e. the 14^th general election, it did not want to leave any stone unturned, come fire or brimstone.

It was prepared to create a May 13 to hold onto power. To do this, of which it had been throwing veiled hints, it had to have a powerful weapon in hand. Hence, the nefarious NSC was born.  

Dr Mahathir Mohamd put the powers of the PM under this bill in a nutshell when he said that “Najib’s rights are far more numerous and superior in comparison with the rights and powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong”.

So why didn’t Najib use it as planned?

BN was confident of victory, what with its lackey Election Commission leaving no stone unturned to tilt the playing field in favour of its master – gerrymandering, electoral rolls, choice of voting day, last-minute actions and changing of rules.

Voter turnout midweek was beyond the EC’s calculations and big numbers of voters took up BN’s arrogant challenge often thrown at them to “vote us out if you don’t like us”.    

As the results came in, showing that the mighty BN was hit hard (like the Bismarck – a German terror of the seas during WW2), Najib must have been numbed as if hit by a stun gun and was, therefore, unable to mobilise the likes of the Red Shirts to create a May 13.  

Now, it is really disappointing for the newly minted Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu who has been given briefings by the various branches of the armed forces to start talking in defence of the NSC.

He should perhaps get a briefing from the attorney-general’s office as well as to laws that have taken care of national security matters for decades before the birth of the NSC.   

The NSC was born out of BN’s desperation to retain power. It had to have the ultimate weapon of last resort to hold onto power if it lost at the polls.

Man proposes, god disposes.

With BN having lost and a new government in place, that weapon should be destroyed lest one day those in power use it for their own ends.

Mohamad must not allow himself to be sweet-talked into retaining the law and “modifying” it if and where necessary. Just get rid of it. It was born out of an evil, unholy intention. – June 30, 2018.

* Ravinder Singh reads The Malaysian Insight.

* 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.