Ahmad Zahid the chameleon
Josh HongPublished: Nov 19, 2010 5:30 AM | Updated: Nov 19, 2010 5:47 AM
Having ignited the heated debate over the allegedly lack of patriotism on the part of the non-Malays, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi now appears to have retreated into reluctant silence. The Defence Minister had most probably thought he would shore up his nationalist credentials, only to stomach the raw fact of being a lone ranger.
Having ignited the heated debate over the allegedly lack of patriotism on the part of the non-Malays, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi now appears to have retreated into reluctant silence. The Defence Minister had most probably thought he would shore up his nationalist credentials, only to stomach the raw fact of being a lone ranger.
Ahmad Zahid had expected Muhyiddin Yassin to back him up, but even the Malay-first Deputy Prime Minister had left him out in the cold.
For those who have a long memory, Ahmad Zahid is a political chameleon par excellence. Once an outwardly staunch supporter of Anwar Ibhraim, he ditched his erstwhile taiko after a short stint of detention under the Internal Security Act in 1998 and patched up with Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Ahmad Zahid later endeared himself to Najib Abdul Razak, which eventually won him the defence portfolio. However, he is increasingly perceived to be edging closer to factions mildly hostile to Najib, with one senior Umno leader describing him as “too clever by half” and never to be trusted.
Luck and opportunism best characterise Ahmad Zahid’s chequered political career, a reason why none of his cabinet colleagues takes his lecture on patriotism very seriously. Worse, there is plenty of covert and overt schadenfreude among them!
If anything, Ahmad Zahid’s performance as Defence Minister has been utterly uninspiring. Under Najib, his predecessor, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) squandered public monies with the dodgy purchases of two Scorpene submarines, the first of which was found unfit for diving. The opposition claims huge kickbacks had been made to the Malaysian government by DCNS, a French-owned shipbuilder.
Coincidentally, the same French company holds the main stake of Thales, which had paid unauthorised commissions to Taiwanese officials and politicians to secure the sales of six Lafayette-class warships back in 1991.
More astoundingly, the controversial procurements in Taiwan led to the mysterious death of Captain Yin Ching-feng, while the submarine deal between Malaysia and France triggered the shocking murder of a Mongolian national, Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Last year, Ahmad Zahid revealed that two F-5E engines were stolen from the Royal Malaysian Air Force and sold to unknown parties in Uruguay. To date, the MOD still owes the Malaysian public an apology, and Ahmad Zahid’s failure to launch full investigations into all other defence scandals - ranging from the chronic absence of open tenders to bloated costs for military uniforms - is a sore point indeed.
Move to purchase Swedish fighter jets?
Exactly a year ago, the MOD made clear its plan to retire the entire fleet of MiG-29N interceptors by the end of this year. According to Ahmad Zahid, the government could save RM260 million annually by phasing out the aircraft, which had become too costly to be maintained.
However, the MOD is said to be considering the purchase of Swedish-made Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets at the same time. No details are forthcoming and the government remains tight-lipped about it.
To the Malaysian Muslim community that is in perpetual suspicion of western conspiracy, there cannot be a more obnoxious idea than having Swedish fighter jets in its backyard. Early this year, Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks was targeted by Islamists after newspapers there republished his caricature that depicted the Prophet Muhammad in the body of a dog, which again set off combustible debate on freedom of expression.
Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Prime Minister, was compelled to meet with envoys from a good number of Islamic countries to assuage their extreme displeasure.
The recent general election in Sweden ended with the rise of the far-right forces that are ill at ease with the country’s sizeable Muslim population, prompting much public anxiety over worsening ethnic and religious ties. How will the largely conservative Muslim community in Malaysia respond to an eventual purchase of Swedish fighter jets would be an interesting case to observe.
While it is always prudent for the government to expand and diversify its procurement options, it must come clean with details, especially when the MOD reported satisfaction with the two Su-30MKMs that it had purchased from Irkut Corporation, a Russian aircraft manufacturer, in May 2007. The deal was inked back in 2003, under which Malaysia would buy a total of 18 Su-30MKMs.
So far, India, Vietnam and Algeria are the major buyers of similar models. The sudden toying with the Saab JAS 39 Gripen cannot help arousing the fear of more kickbacks being negotiated. Past lessons have shown that even the so-called mature democracies are not immune to the plague of bribery.
Given the slew of scandals involving the MOD in the past, Ahmad Zahid’s priority ought to be to clean up the mess and put his house in order, rather than seeking to gain political mileage by creating an elusive bond of patriotism. Until and unless he can establish himself as a politician who is squeaky clean, morally upright, professionally competent and ethically whiter than the snow, his patriotism rhetoric will continue to ring hollow to the nation.
JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.
Ahmad Zahid had expected Muhyiddin Yassin to back him up, but even the Malay-first Deputy Prime Minister had left him out in the cold.
For those who have a long memory, Ahmad Zahid is a political chameleon par excellence. Once an outwardly staunch supporter of Anwar Ibhraim, he ditched his erstwhile taiko after a short stint of detention under the Internal Security Act in 1998 and patched up with Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Ahmad Zahid later endeared himself to Najib Abdul Razak, which eventually won him the defence portfolio. However, he is increasingly perceived to be edging closer to factions mildly hostile to Najib, with one senior Umno leader describing him as “too clever by half” and never to be trusted.
Luck and opportunism best characterise Ahmad Zahid’s chequered political career, a reason why none of his cabinet colleagues takes his lecture on patriotism very seriously. Worse, there is plenty of covert and overt schadenfreude among them!
If anything, Ahmad Zahid’s performance as Defence Minister has been utterly uninspiring. Under Najib, his predecessor, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) squandered public monies with the dodgy purchases of two Scorpene submarines, the first of which was found unfit for diving. The opposition claims huge kickbacks had been made to the Malaysian government by DCNS, a French-owned shipbuilder. Coincidentally, the same French company holds the main stake of Thales, which had paid unauthorised commissions to Taiwanese officials and politicians to secure the sales of six Lafayette-class warships back in 1991.
More astoundingly, the controversial procurements in Taiwan led to the mysterious death of Captain Yin Ching-feng, while the submarine deal between Malaysia and France triggered the shocking murder of a Mongolian national, Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Last year, Ahmad Zahid revealed that two F-5E engines were stolen from the Royal Malaysian Air Force and sold to unknown parties in Uruguay. To date, the MOD still owes the Malaysian public an apology, and Ahmad Zahid’s failure to launch full investigations into all other defence scandals - ranging from the chronic absence of open tenders to bloated costs for military uniforms - is a sore point indeed.
Move to purchase Swedish fighter jets?
Exactly a year ago, the MOD made clear its plan to retire the entire fleet of MiG-29N interceptors by the end of this year. According to Ahmad Zahid, the government could save RM260 million annually by phasing out the aircraft, which had become too costly to be maintained.
However, the MOD is said to be considering the purchase of Swedish-made Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets at the same time. No details are forthcoming and the government remains tight-lipped about it.
To the Malaysian Muslim community that is in perpetual suspicion of western conspiracy, there cannot be a more obnoxious idea than having Swedish fighter jets in its backyard. Early this year, Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks was targeted by Islamists after newspapers there republished his caricature that depicted the Prophet Muhammad in the body of a dog, which again set off combustible debate on freedom of expression.
Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Prime Minister, was compelled to meet with envoys from a good number of Islamic countries to assuage their extreme displeasure.
The recent general election in Sweden ended with the rise of the far-right forces that are ill at ease with the country’s sizeable Muslim population, prompting much public anxiety over worsening ethnic and religious ties. How will the largely conservative Muslim community in Malaysia respond to an eventual purchase of Swedish fighter jets would be an interesting case to observe.
While it is always prudent for the government to expand and diversify its procurement options, it must come clean with details, especially when the MOD reported satisfaction with the two Su-30MKMs that it had purchased from Irkut Corporation, a Russian aircraft manufacturer, in May 2007. The deal was inked back in 2003, under which Malaysia would buy a total of 18 Su-30MKMs. So far, India, Vietnam and Algeria are the major buyers of similar models. The sudden toying with the Saab JAS 39 Gripen cannot help arousing the fear of more kickbacks being negotiated. Past lessons have shown that even the so-called mature democracies are not immune to the plague of bribery.
Given the slew of scandals involving the MOD in the past, Ahmad Zahid’s priority ought to be to clean up the mess and put his house in order, rather than seeking to gain political mileage by creating an elusive bond of patriotism. Until and unless he can establish himself as a politician who is squeaky clean, morally upright, professionally competent and ethically whiter than the snow, his patriotism rhetoric will continue to ring hollow to the nation.
JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.
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