WE all know what Tun Musa Hitam said. Yes recently. Yes, about the country not going bankrupt if a regime change happens after the general election. To recap, the former deputy prime minister had said: "If the opposition were to rule, they would not make foreign investors run away. They will not do so and bankrupt the country."
And he said it would be foolish for anyone to say the country would be destroyed should the opposition come into power. "Do not insult the intelligence of the electorate," he said.
To supporters of Pakatan Rakyat, that is a "very good" endorsement for the opposition pact in their "march to Putrajaya".
To the "neutrals" – well at least those who posted comments on the internet – when big name former Umno leaders make such a statement, it not only lends credence to Pakatan but could also mean "they (the leaders) know what's going to happen and talk of change of government after this GE could very well be true".
And Musa is one such leader who many see as "credible" and with "integrity", thus "highly respected". And he is also a "gentleman", they say, pointing to his "willingness" to quit the DPM post over "irreconcilable differences with then PM Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad". In short many hold him in awe.
Datuk Ariff Sabri, a former Umno man who was once in PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak's inner circle, has this to say: "Musa has set himself up for a lynching over his comments."
And he added: "Musa Hitam isn't a man unfamiliar with or afraid of controversy".
That was part of what he posted on his blog Sakmongkol AK47. Arif was information chief of the Pekan Umno division, whose head is, yes, Najib. He is now a DAP member.
But according to an Umno strategist, the party does not have to attack Musa. "It's important that Umno does not overkill Musa's statement, let it be," he said, stressing that the party should instead focus on the Pakatan manifesto, calling it "a fraud".
However, "attacking" the Pakatan manifesto is something BN have been doing every chance they get – since the opposition unveiled it weeks ago.
According to news portal Malaysian Insider, BN lawmakers it spoke to reacted with "dismay and cynicism at Musa's assertion that Malaysia will not go bankrupt if Pakatan captures Putrajaya in the next election".
To some political observers, "Pakatan had always expected BN to attack their manifesto. When Najib and everybody in BN hammer it, that would lead to people to want to see what's the manifesto all about. That's why they released the manifesto very early".
Back to the things Musa said. The Umno strategist feels the former DPM's statement "would not have any adverse effect on BN as "Musa is not an economist, one who is not in the economic sphere". But he agrees that "Musa is credible". Still, he insisted, "even Nobel Prize winners cannot defend the stupidity of that manifesto".
Yet there are many who feel what Musa said is, or can be, damaging to the BN and "is a slap" on the faces of many a BN leader. Almost all in BN – including, or rather especially, Mahathir and Najib – had said the country will "go bust and be destroyed if Pakatan takes over".
Musa did not name names. Neither did he point fingers when he said such remarks were "political statements".
So why did Musa say what he said, despite going on record saying "I am still very much an Umno man".
Perhaps Musa was being Musa. One who speaks his mind, regardless of the official party line (what more he has "quit active politics"). He has always maintained that his actions and statements "are for the good and betterment of the agama, bangsa and negara (religion, people and country)".
When he was deputy PM cum deputy Umno president, Musa had "advocated" that Malays adopt a "kurang ajar(rude)" attitude, saying Malays should say what they mean without having to "cakap berlapik" or 'sugar coat' the things they want to say.
But political foes accused him of wanting Malays, a community where being polite is a trait they hold dear to their hearts, to be rude, brash and arrogant.
Then there was the speech he made when opening the Umno Youth and Wanita assembly sometime in the late 1980s, where he warned of the danger of what he called "sindrom bisu" in the party. Literally translated, 'dumb syndrome'.
What Musa meant was the trend then of Umno members keeping quiet and nodding their heads in agreement to whatever was being professed by the leadership. He quit the deputy premier post months later.
Musa had wanted Umno members (read Malays) to call a spade a spade, tell the truth and discard what is known as herd mentality.
Is the Musa of old very much the Musa of the present?
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