Much is being made in UMNO circles about the standing of arch thief Najib Razak. He is depicted as enjoying the “total respect” of the Malay community.

Leave the opium dream to one side. How can a mega theif. One publicly proven by no less than the Justice Department of the USA to be a common thief, enjoy the “total respect” of anyone, himself included?

Do the Malay citizens of Malaysia really want to depict themselves as blockheads who support a mega criminal; one who has stolen from their own pockets? Logic and common sense tells us that this is not the case.

Traditionally, and understandably, the Malay community have supported UMNO, seeing it as the protector of their privileged constitutional position. This is no longer so and the proof of that is the existence of a new political party headed by a long serving Malay Prime Minister and dedicated to rooting out political corruption and restoring the self-esteem of the Malays.

What is wrong with that? Your attap leaks. You replace it. Your land is overgrown with weeds. You clear it. You discover a crime. You tell the Police. Someone cheats you. You report him to the authorities. You are an honest, normal, hardworking citizen.

A proven criminal asks for your vote. You shun him and elect an honest person in his place. You know what to do. So do it. You owe it to yourself and your family and your community.