THAT Prime Minister Najib Razak took to running down and lambasting Pakatan Harapan in the presence of some 900 local and foreign business leaders and investors is most unfortunate and smacks of desperation. He has indeed pressed the panic button!

Denouncing Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s legacy as being rife with cronyism and corruption is most ironical. When the entire world watches how puppet master Jho Low embezzled billions of dollars from 1MDB and laundered the proceeds around the globe, Najib should have exhibited more finesse and decorum.

The “bare-faced lies and misinformation” he accused the opposition of having manufactured “to damage Malaysia’s economy” are best rebutted by the conviction of few top bank officials in jurisdiction like Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

The three complaints of the United States Department of Justice speak for all. Lest he chooses to suffer selective amnesia again, will the true MO1 please stand up!

Never mind the pernicious corruption and endemic nepotism that have been very recently exposed locally in FGV and Mar, to cite a few, and the diversion of public funds from the likes KWAP and SRC to cover debt payment gaps. That his administration has a penchant for inflating project cost beyond market norms is an open secret.

In all fairness, we perhaps have no qualm about recognising whatever he has achieved. However, truth be told, his achievement pales and really nothing to shout about, when all the “so-called reforms” were unmistakably short-lived and aborted. Regrettably, it gave way to greed and dishonesty of the oligarchy, and fear of his own party.

In defence of Dr Mahathir, let me say in unequivocal terms to all. We may hate or love Dr Mahathir before and surely, he is not faultless, but the facts remain that:

* For 22 years of Dr Mahathir’s administration, Malaysia was well respected worldwide, notably in the Muslim world. To cite but one example, Malaysia’s recent military involvement in Yemen under your administration is extremely deplorable.

* Dr Mahathir was courageous enough to withstand the condemnation of international leaders and be a contrarian, inter alia, like with the capital controls during the Asian financial crisis of 1998, which arguably paved the way for our economic recovery. You’re a novice at best and a constant failure at worst.

* Yes, Dr Mahathir made mistakes with the forex deals but he has never stolen money like shifting into his personal account of billions of ringgit. You just wait when Jho Low is in the dock. Shame on you, sir!

 * He is known to be a strong man and his own man. He had never let himself be influenced by his wife or controlled by shady characters like Jho Low. Doubtless, you’re an exact antithesis of your former boss.

It was Dr Mahathir’s time that crony Umno companies were made to become government-linked companies, albeit with their setbacks and failures. You inherited an improved legacy and now relished on the almost-absolute control by your Finance Ministry. MoF Inc is practically your personal fiefdom.

* Debt was reasonably well managed, surely not as high, now. Your debt-driven growth is very unfortunate, while Dr Mahathir endeavoured and engineered a heavy and a high-tech manufacturing-based economy. With Najib, we suffered a premature deindustrialisation. With that, employment is severely affected, much worse, of a achieving a high-income regime, through enhanced productivity.

* The standard and cost of living was indeed surely better then, and the ringgit didn’t shrink up to 40% of its value against the greenback as compared with after you took over from 2009.

You mocked three of our leaders, as if we are in chaos. Our three brains of Dr Mahathir, the iconic reformer Anwar Ibrahim, and the “lady of strength” of grit and tenacity, the opposition chief Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, are surely more superior that one kleptocrat’s mind and his puppet master.

Besides other top leaders, our pool of second-echelon leaders, namely Rafizi Ramli, Tony Pua and Nurul Izzah Anwar, etc are always ready to spring into action.

Be that as it may, Pakatan Harapan and the discerning majority of the rakyat are now bent on changing a kleptocratic government.

Perhaps it is pertinent to remind Najib that, if and when, his party and Barisan Nasional are defeated in the 14th general election, never resort to invoking the draconian National Security Council (NSC) Act.

Never ever rob the rakyat of their democratic rights and victory to live under a kleptocratic government and let Malaysians regain their lost dignity and competitiveness. – July 26, 2017.

* Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad is Amanah strategic director.

* 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.