Will Najib be man enough to stand up what he proclaimed or is he going to be a wimp and head for the exit with his tails between his legs.

1Malaysia is indeed a beautiful and profound concept. It can simply mean that there should not be many Malaysias - each pulling away in a different direction or working at cross-purposes.

It is undeniable that Malaysia is fractured by ethnicity, religion, economic class, literacy, geography, socio-economic philosophies and a plethora of other such factors.

The concept is not difficult to understand.

What Najib obviously needs to do is articulate the measures that are required to attain 1Malaysia. Mere sloganeering, bill boards and simplistic 1Malaysia clinics are not going to get us there. However, if he were to lay down all the steps that needs to be taken in one go, certainly the divisive forces who love to retain 'ketuanan' status are going to rise in arms.

Najib is not so naive that he cannot understand this. But to his credit, understanding the entrenched positions of the many Malaysias, he appears to be moving towards that goal cautiously by chipping away at the dividing the walls in small baby steps. The New Economic Model and its proposed underlying polices seemed to be a good start in that direction.

Most unfortunately, the die-hard extremists led by by PERKASA and strongly supported by the fork-tongued Mahathir and an unsure Deputy Prime Ministe, who does not understand whether he is coming or going, are doing everything possible to ensure that 1Malaysia and the NEM are still-born.

Mahathir is now actually teasing Najib by asking for clarifications. And maybe he has become a little unsure of himself now that his compatriot, Ling is being prosecuted. Did it take Mahathir one year, while all the time singing plaudits about the Najib administration, to suddenly realize that he does not understand what 1 Malaysia is. Uncharacteristic or Machiavellian - waiting to strike at the right time?

If Najib really embraced 1Malaysia with a visionary zeal and not for short term political gains, and if he wants to become a true leader and is really intent on pulling out a nation that is certainly sliding towards the abyss, then he should start fighting the evil forces openly because the enemies of 1Malysia, surreptitiously supported by Mahathir, have drawn their swords.

03/08/10

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