Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will hang on to power as long as he can corral support from the rural folk as seen through the busing in of protesters at Sept 16’s Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu , veteran newsman A Kadir Jasin said.

He said the same modus operandi of using money and fear tactics will be seen in the 14th general election to “vindicate” Najib.

However, he said, Najib must first ensure there will be no criminal proceedings against him following on-going corruption investigations into the RM2.6 billion found in Najib’s personal account, and no defections from BN.

This, he is doing through the expulsion of Langkawi Umno member Anina Saadudin (photo) and the arrest of Batu Kawan Umno member Khairuddin Abu Hassan under the Security Offences and Special Measures Act (Sosma).

Anina filed a lawsuit againt the party over the RM2.6 billion Najib claimed is a political donation, while Khairuddin lodged complaints to various agencies abroad over Najib's brainchild 1MDB.

"The arrest and detention of Khairuddin and the expulsion of Anina from Umno have the effect of proving that intimidation is now a strategy," he said on his blog .

Najib will be unassailable

Kadir said Umno had used “Malays greatest fear – being overwhelmed by the non-Malays” to gather thousands of participants for the Sept 16 rally, and will do the same at the polls.

“ This was what Umno had done in the past, albeit more subtly, and that’s what they are likely to do at the next general election.

“They will use money and political power to garner votes while instilling fears among the Malays that they are in the danger of being swept away by the Chinese tsunami. The latter term was Najib’s own creation,” he wrote on his blog.

Najib had used the term ‘ Chinese tsunam i’ while describing the results of the 13th general election.

The PM’s use of the emotive word ‘ bangsat ’ (bastards) when describing the purported fate of Malays without Umno is also for this purpose, he said.

“So those who think that Mohd Najib will be done away with soon and the BN will be gone in the next GE better think twice.

“For as long as he can get half of the pak cik (uncles), mak cik (aunties), the Orang Asli, the rural folk and Felda settlers to side with him, Umno would be returned to power and his position would be unassailable.

“He would be vindicated,” Kadir wrote.

Kadir said Umno’s grip on the rural folk is stronger with depressed commodity prices and higher cost of living, due to goods and services tax and the sliding ringgit.

“Impoverishing the people has its merit,” he said.

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