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Something doesn’t smell quite right

Joe Fernandez
| April 13, 2011

Taib Mahmud has everyone guessing as to when he will step down as chief minister, if at all.

COMMENT
The succession picture in Sarawak is getting increasingly murkier by the day. It appears that Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, judging by his remarks at the 1Malaysia concert on Monday, isn’t going anywhere in a hurry.
He has second thoughts now, in his own words in the presence of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, about quitting after the April 16 polls. This explains Taib’s apparent lack of enthusiasm for Najib campaigning in Sarawak. In any case, why enter the fray if he’s quitting in the weeks or immediate months!
Scratch any possibility of him quitting in mid-term. There is no possibility of Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Anak Numpang stepping in as an interim chief minister before another Taib family member can be groomed to take over the crown in their private paradise. The interim idea looks like a definite non-starter even if Jabu wins his Layar seat this Saturday against a formidable challenge being mounted by Tedewin Ngumbang Datu, who quit Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) recently in a huff over Taib’s alleged mischief-making among Dayak-based parties.
Taib has in fact upped the ante since Monday and is staying on for a few more years. That will take him to another full term, assuming that he isn’t being presumptuous and wins the state election this Saturday.
There are no prizes for guessing what brought about Taib’s sudden change of heart. In an interview with TV3 last night, Taib disclosed that Najib has already chosen – speculated to be Abang Johari – as the next chief minister. The last person that Taib, as a Melanau Muslim and Dayak, would accept as chief minister is a Malay. That doesn’t mean either that he will allow a non-Melanau Dayak to be chief minister. The Melanau Mafia has an unenviable reputation for being mean, vicious and vindictive.
The disclosure on Najib’s choice during the TV3 interview was before Taib went on to reiterate that he wants the succession in Sarawak to be smooth, whatever that means. The Sarawak strongman was going all over the place on the issue of development and how it’s linked, again, with how long he stays on and when and who takes over from him.
Major complaint
His successor, it seems, must be “as smart as or even smarter than him”. This is not surprising since it comes from a kleptocrat like Taib who presides over the second poorest state in Malaysia and belabours under the misconception that he’s indispensable.
Taib is a Sarawakian first and foremost, and reading between the lines, it can be surmised that he along with his countrymen would not tolerate a situation where an Orang Malaya – even the prime minister – decides on the next chief minister of the state. This is also the major complaint in neighbouring Sabah where Najib has really no business dictating who should or should not be chief minister.
It’s the state constitution which determines who becomes chief minister of Sarawak. So, the more Najib screams that Taib is leaving sooner rather than later, the more he reiterates that he can’t leave just like that especially when he hasn’t finished his work, again whatever that means. Taib is more than a little suspicious that Najib seems to be too eager to get rid of him.
Both Najib and Taib are lying through their teeth on the succession problem in Sarawak. Najib thought that he can do a number on Taib and his dynasty, after the man leaves, and bring Umno to the state through Johari. The Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), like the United Sabah National Organisation (Usno), will make way for Umno Sarawak and will in turn either be dissolved or deregistered. All this will never happen since Taib refuses to go away dutifully as expected.
Taib has always been less concerned about Umno’s ketuanan Melayu mindset and its desire to foster proxy politics in the state through a local front than about his own political fortunes and the “independence” of Sarawak. This is one reason why Najib is dropping the fig leaf on proxy politics and has plans to install his party in the state. Another is his suspicion that in the event of a tie in Peninsular Malaysia, Taib would not hesitate to do business with the opposition alliance in return for a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya staying off his turf.
Najib remains supremely confident that Taib can be “persuaded” to cave in and flee with his tail between the legs. Najib’s secret weapon against Taib is the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) even as the latter has got the former’s wife, Rosmah, on his side as his lobbyist in Putrajaya with the enormous means at his disposal.
High-stakes games
If Najib refuses to take that as checkmate in the high-stakes game of political chess, poker and Russian roulette combined, he should think again.
Najib is no match for the eternal survivor in Taib and Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, his maternal uncle and predecessor. When push comes to shove, Taib, like Jeffrey Kitingan in Sabah, is more than capable of querying whether the Federation of Malaysia still exists given the departure of Singapore in 1965. The answers will more than surprise Putrajaya.
Najib has clearly been outwitted by Taib who pretended to go along to see where the former was headed on the succession issue. It’s more than a stalemate on the succession issue with Rosmah, for obvious reasons, on Taib’s side. Najib, hence, would have to drop his hare-brained scheme of expanding Umno to Sarawak on the ruins of PBB and the Taib dynasty.
Furthermore, he has to drop any notion that he can send the MACC – not that he’s wrong, but it’s too little too late – after Taib.
Employing the MACC against Taib at this late juncture – selective prosecution, selective persecution – would simply open up the Pandora’s Box itself and pave the way for the disintegration of the Federation of Malaysia in Sabah and Sarawak.

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War of the dynasties in the Taib family?

Posted on April 12, 2011 by malaysiakinicom

Apr 12, 11 5:12pm

The Taib Mahmud family is purportedly facing a crisis of dynastic proportions as insiders and figures close to them claim an attempted takeover is underway by ‘outsiders’ in the form of the chief minister’s sister and his in-laws.
According to whistleblower website Sarawak Report (SR), Chief Minister Taib’s close relatives had sent it a “dossier of astonishing information” that explain the move by former deputy education minister and Taib’s own cousin, Salleh Jafarruden, to contest Sarawak’s chief minister of 30 years for the seat of Balingian.
The dossier, said SR, makes clear that a faction within the Mahmud family fear the prospects of a takeover of control by a tightly-knit ‘cabal’ led by Taib’s sister Raziah (left) and her husband Robert Geneid.
This, SR claimed further, is what prompted former deputy education minister – the chief minister’s own cousin – Salleh Jafarruden to contest Taib in the latter’s stronghold of Balingian.
The dossier of information allegedly disclosed that Jafarruden had actually written to Taib three letters advising him about the “increasingly destructive influence” that Raziah, Robert and a ‘bomoh’ named ‘Stella’ are exercising over the chief minister to satisfy their “greed” for power and wealth.
The visible degeneration of the sick and elderly Taib allegedly parallel not only Raziah and Robert’s increased control over Taib – “particularly since the death of his first wife Laila in early 2009″ – but also over Sarawak’s land and companies.
His recent marriage to a young Lebanese national, Ragad Waleed, is also allegedly part of the plan as to ensure the Geneids maintain a close watch on Taib.
Ragad (right) is said to be a “direct relative” of Robert Geneid.
This is how, claimed the insiders, the Geneid couple and the witchdoctor – whose real name is Kharleen Tashman – have accumulated billions in profit, SR said.
“He [Salleh] was a gentleman opponent who actually wanted to advise Pehin Taib that he was most prepared to assist him in minimising some of the damage arising from the greed by people like Raziah and her husband.
“Of course he never received any response to the letters he sent to Taib”, said SR.
Impending disaster
Sensing the decay and impending disaster that has surrounded the BN campaign and the danger and increasing damage to Sarawak if the Geneid couple succeed in acquiring total control over the reins of the state, Salleh was “forced” to contest against Taib for the seat of Balingian.
“Salleh… realised the growing danger of the people surrounding Taib and the increasing damage to Sarawak if things continue unabated and remained uncorrected. Greed and bomoh are a very lethal combination to any leader,” said SR in reference to alleged witchdoctor Stella.
“Salleh decided to fight Taib only after he realised there is no way any concerned rakyat or family members can make Taib listen,” said SR, citing the dossier:
“Very concerned about the increasing destructive influence of Raziah, her husband Robert Geneid and their Black Bomoh Stella, (right).
“Compounding the issue is the Lebanese Bomoh who is a cousin of Robert Geneid and she lives in Raziah’s house within Pehin Taib’s residence as her second home. Salleh and his emissary simply intended to help salvage the situation from deteriorating further.
“[But], because Taib was heavily influenced by Raziah, her husband and their bomoh, Taib simply chucked aside any advice”.
‘Trio decided S’wak BN candidates
Among the proofs of their immense influence on matters of the state, said SR, is a paper entitled ‘Datuk Raziah’s Bomoh List of BN Candidates’, which purports to show that Sarawak BN’s candidates for this Saturday’s state-wide polls were actually decided by the trio.
This is a great pity, SR cited the document as saying, because the candidates were not chosen primarily based on their ability and their performance during their years of service as legislators or to keep hold of and protect BN’s huge tracts of land and other possessions.
“Among the candidates criticised by the insider are the candidate for Tupong, Daud Abdul Rahman and for Lambir, Ripin Lambat. The author of the dossier confirms the rumours that the candidate list was vetted by Stella, which created last minute delays,” said SR.
“It is also claimed that “Semoi Peri, who had already expressed her wish not to stand, was pressured to stand again for reasons known to Raziah’s Bomoh.
“Datuk Zul Philip, candidate for Jepak was not expected to be chosen, but somehow his name was confirmed to stand by the Raziah Bomoh list. All these years he is one candidate who has never failed to show his face close with Pehin and Raziah”.
The document suggests that the Geneids’ plans stand opposed to the interests even of Taib’s Cahya Mata Sarawak, PPES group of companies and his son, Mahmud Abu Bekir (right) and Mahmud’s nominee and partner, Chris Chung.
“Don’t they too have a strong reason to want to make sure the selected BN candidates will protect what they had grabbed throughout these years?” asked the document.
According to SR, furthermore, the Geneids are putting into place plans to ensure that current Minister of Planning, Amar Tengah Awang Tengah, takes over from Taib.
“Awang is commonly known to be at Dato Raziah’s beck and call whenever she wants something from the State Government,” SR said citing the document.
“Little wonder, therefore that Dato Amar Awang Tengah was the only one privy to the meeting with them hours before Taib appeared at the PBB HQ for the state election candidates list announcement,” it added.