The Malaysian Insight

HAMZAH Zainudin talks a good game.

He sounds like Mr Altruism, Mr Patriotism and Mr Nationalism all rolled into one nice package.

Just read his comments explaining why 36 Barisan Nasional lawmakers signed a pledge of allegiance to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He told Berita Harian: “There are 33 from Umno, one from Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah and two from MIC, who signed letters of support for the prime minister… This group sincerely wants to ensure that no one uses Parliament to dethrone the prime minister because we are hearing such talk.

“If the political situation is not stable, it would cause problems to the people. That is why we want stability and we support the prime minister to lead. This is all in the nation and the people’s interest.”

Now this statement would have carried more weight if it was uttered by your next door neighbour.

But the man who is now playing that patriotic and nationalistic card has had a political career pockmarked by controversy and notoriety. Until recently, he was a staunch defender of Najib Razak and one of the boorish Umno MPs.

Sometime ago, he was the chairman of ‎Felcra, the land rehabilitation authority that is in dire need of rehabilitation after years of alleged mismanagement and incompetence.

Back in 2004, then opposition leader Lim Kit Siang wanted the anti-corruption agency to find out the source of Hamzah’s wealth after a syariah court ordered him to pay his first wife a divorce settlement of RM11.2 million.

Hamzah gained infamy in 1999 when he alleged that Anwar Ibrahim had tried to seduce his wife. That allegation became one of the planks in Mahathir’s decision to declare Anwar unfit for political office. 

Anwar has maintained that the allegation was part of a conspiracy to end his political career.

Make no mistake, Hamzah is looking out for himself. He was once Dr Mahathir’s man, then he became close to Abdullah Badawi and then latched on to Najib. He quit Umno today but still refers to Umno president Zahid Hamidi as boss.

In the days ahead, more Umno politicians will mouth sweet sounding words.

They will do their best to persuade Malaysians that they are leaving Umno for the good of the voters and in the interest of Malaysia.

But they are no more than bottom-feeders. 

If they are running away from Umno, it is because they know that the party that once put fat contracts and patronage their way can’t give them the good life anymore.

If they are falling over each other to join Bersatu or PKR, it is because they are seeking protection from scrutiny and prosecution.

They are not patriots.

They are bottom feeders. – December 15, 2018.