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The rakyat has let out a sigh of relief on the news that Badawi is stepping down in March 2009 and will not be defending his position as President of UMNO.
At this critical hour, we must not be too presumptuous that all has been resolved and we can relax and celebrate the departure of the most vindictive political leader in recent history.
We must have no illusions that the 2nd and 3rd limbs of the Trinity of Power, the Son and the Son-In-Law, will just give up their power and ill-gotten gains. They are adopting a two-pronged strategy. The first is to prepare for the eventuality that if they fail to turn the tide, to have a quick exit with the loot intact. The second is to use all the levers of power to intimidate and manipulate UMNO members to do their bidding and finalise a deal with Najib for their future survival.
We must not allow the Trinity of Power to remain in power a day longer, even if you believe that Badawi is sincere in wanting to retire.
I have grave doubts. Badawi is famous for flip-flops. March 2009 is a long way off. I take the view, that the announcement by Badawi that he is stepping down, as a strategic retreat so as to lull his enemies and opponents to relax their guard while the Trinity of Power continues to plot to retain their hold on power and the levers of the money-making machine.
It makes no sense for Badawi to announce that he is not defending his post as president, and then only to retire in March 2009.
The next five months will be crucial as he still holds the levers of power as prime minister. And if the need arises, Badawi can easily create a crisis to justify a flip-flop and to remain in power. This scenario is most likely when Najib fails to hold the country together when the global financial tsunami hits Malaysia in the next few weeks. Badawi’s diehard supporters are on standby to move in for the counter-attack.
In the circumstances, I call upon all UMNO members to be vigilant and ensure that Badawi resigns as Prime Minister before December 2008 and that the UMNO AGM be convened in December 2008 and not March 2009.
This is the surest way that the Trinity of Power will be buried for good and a reformed UMNO established to meet the challenges of the next General Elections. If UMNO fails to deliver the coup de grace, then UMNO will not survive. This is a given.
When a surgeon removes a malignant cancer from the body, he must ensure that the malignant tumour is removed completely, failing which the remaining cancer cells will rear their ugly heads again and devour the body.
The choice for UMNO is simple.
Get rid of the cancerous Trinity of Power once and for all, or face the return of the menace in the near future.
Do what is right and save UMNO and the country.
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