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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright June 2024
Well, well, well. If it isn't our favourite jailbird, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, making waves from his cell. With all the freedom a prisoner could wish for—namely access to the X platform—Najib thought it a good idea to stir the diesel subsidy pot, only to find himself doused in scorn.
Najib recently graced us with a 2017 relic: a video of Rafizi Ramli, the now-Economy Minister, vehemently opposing the subsidy cuts. Ah, those were the days when rolling in protest was as common as rolling out of bed. Najib's cheeky caption, “Rindu zaman berguling-guling tuntut kembalikan subsidi,” translates to a nostalgic longing for the days of public upheaval against subsidy removal.
Little did he know, the internet doesn’t forget, and it certainly doesn't forgive. With 844,000 views, tons of comments, and 1000 retweets, his post hit the viral jackpot—though probably not in the way he hoped.
Pro-PH backers on X, quick to wield their digital pitchforks, didn't hold back. One particularly fiery comment suggested Najib take his nostalgia for protest to the streets—literally. “Roll on the streets in protest!” they quipped, perhaps forgetting that his current accommodations don't offer much room for a tumble. Another advised him to settle for maggie mee, a culinary staple of the incarcerated.
The pièce de résistance, however, came from @SyedAkramin, a well-known X user, who didn’t mince words: “Enough with being afraid of your wife and now wanting to show off.” Ouch. It's one thing to be called out for your political antics, but being publicly henpecked from prison is a new low.
Adding to the cacophony was a user-uploaded cartoon captioned “Can I advise you,” a jab at the infamous leaked audio of Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, dispensing her...advice. Because if there’s one thing Malaysians love more than subsidies, it’s a good Rosmah joke.
Yet, amidst the barrage aimed at Najib, there were also critical hits on PH and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Broken promises on toll and fuel prices, they cried. “Et tu, Anwar?” the comments seemed to lament, in a Shakespearean twist of political betrayal.
As Najib nurses his bruised ego, perhaps he's learning that public sentiment, much like a diesel engine, runs best when fueled by genuine intent, not the fumes of past glory. Meanwhile, the rest of us are left to marvel at the sheer audacity of a man who, even behind bars, manages to stir up more drama than a Malaysian soap opera.
So here's to Najib: Rolling in the deep end of public opinion, reminding us all that sometimes, the pen (or in this case, the tweet) truly is mightier than the prison bars.
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