Najib TOO SHY TO SHOW HIS FACE in Sabah after embarrassing no-show at forum?

The incompetence of Najib Razak’s office in handling public relations has been clearly shown by his choosing of the worst possible excuse to avoid facing a confident and determined Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the Nothing2Hide forum. Being persuaded by the police not to attend, in the name of “security concerns”, was the worst thing he could have done.

The primary responsibility of the police is to secure public safety. If the police could not even ensure the safety of the PM, is there anywhere in this country that is safe at all? Second, can the IGP actually persuade the PM not to attend an event? Or is it the weak will and incompetence of our PM?

Najib could have jumped on the chance of facing a natural disaster in Sabah and escape from being publicly  shamed, and perhaps even regain control. The earthquake happened at 7am. The forum was scheduled to be held by 10am. There was an ample three hours to decide that it was necessary to make a personal visit to Sabah, attending to, and taking control of the emergency response.

He would have avoided a direct confrontation with Mahathir, regained popularity and saved his image. But he missed this golden opportunity and decided to escape from reality by visiting Saudi Arabia instead, leaving the chaos behind.

As reported, the earthquake in Sabah was the most serious since 1976 and Ranau, near the epicentre, the worst-affected area. Were the PM to visit Ranau to take control of the emergency response, the same way as China’s president, Wen Jia-Bao commanded the People’s Liberation Army to respond to the Sichuan earthquake, Najib could have saved himself from his own disaster.

Moreover, he had visited Sabah just a month ago to obtain support from “the fixed deposit of Barisan Nasional”. If he were really sincere, he could have enforced his status and image by responding to the earthquake disaster, saving this “fixed deposit” and his own image along with it.

He seems to be totally oblivious. Regardless of how important this official visit to Saudi Arabia, in the perception of the public, his acts only worsen the mess. Last year, just when the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia was facing a terrible flood, Najib was reported to be playing golf with the President of the United States, Barack Obama, in Hawaii. Only when the public actively criticised his actions did Najib return. By then, the damage had been done.

The key to success in a political career is not just image building, but also about handling public relationships. After all, citizens know that real people care about them through action, not words.

If Najib cannot deal with the rumours, criticisms, and questions, his political path will definitely run into a huge earthquake ahead. - FMT