Is Najib's Position So Shaky That The PM Has To Give An Open Vote Of Confidence?

I fail to understand why the PM had to give a confidence vote to DPM Najib at this juncture. I had always presumed that top level national leaders were made of sterner stuff and could take as much punishment (i.e. allegations and accusations) as the situation demands. More often than not they either totally ignore the tuduhan or expertly roll with the punches and emerge unscathed.

It is therefore strange that Pak Lah should come out so strongly in support of the DPM when he said that he has confidence in Najib's capability as his deputy, especially in carrying out the tasks entrusted to him. "I've confidence in Najib as the deputy prime minister for I'm satisfied with many of the tasks he has implemented," the PM is reported to have said. "Although I'm the BN chairman (and it's my) responsibility to lead, he has been heading the by-election machinery all this while, proving his capability with successful outcomes," Pak Lah further added.

One of the assumptions we can draw from the above is that the accusations by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has hit home and hurt Najib's credibility badly, thus prompting the PM to enter the arena and shore up support for the embattled DPM. The other is that the Barisan campaign in Ijok is faltering because of the allegations and a strong vote of confidence is necessary to influence traditional BN voters not to jump ship. There is yet a third possibility, however unlikely. When some leaders in certain countries wish to jettison a powerful party and government 'colleague' for whatever reason, they initially express the greatest confidence for the intended victim. Thus they have gone on record as being 'supportive' of the colleague and no suspicion or ulterior motive can be directed towards them in the future. Then slowly over a period of time the marked pemimpin finds himself being unceremoniously eased out. A masterful tactic actually, not unlike one of Dr Mahathir's strategies.

Of course the above are just assumptions that have no real basis and probably do not reflect the true situation on the ground.

Read the full Bernama report here: I've Confidence In Najib, Says Abdullah
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