NOW before you dismiss Oon Yeoh's Najib's First 100 Days: No Honeymoon as a pro-Najib manuscript,
remember the old adage "Don't judge a book by its cover". This certainly applies to Yeoh's latest book.

 

It is, Yeoh insists, purely an unbiased assessment of Malaysia's sixth Prime Minister's first 100 days in office.

"I have been in journalism for 12 years and my take on journalism is that opinion writing should remain objective and unprejudiced. But being objective does not mean one cannot be critical. You can be critical
as long as it is fair," said Yeoh, currently the new media editor for business weekly The Edge.

"The book is pretty much like a report card on Najib," said the chatty Yeoh, during an interview with Malay Mail yesterday. "It's got it's As, Bs and Cs, and it also has its Fs!"

The idea to put pen to paper a 100-day "assessment report card" on Najib came to Yeoh three months before Najib was due to step in and replace Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister.

"It was during the peak of the Perak crisis that I watched with fascination how Najib, at that time still a PM-to be and new Perak Umno chief, plotted the Barisan Nasional (BN) takeover of the State," he said.

"His display of ruthlessness was like a warning to everyone that he will become a PM who is not to be messed with. I thought that he was man worth observing, so I decided to keep a daily log and perhaps a book on his early days in office."

The book is divided into two sections. In the first part, Yeoh discusses Najib's performance in several key areas, among them Najib's handling of a shaky BN and an aggressive Pakatan Rakyat (PR), introduction of economic reforms, race relations, civil liberties and media strategies.

The second part is a collection of essays from 14 renowned contributors, such as Malay Mail editorin- chief Ahirudin Attan (Rocky), Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)'s Gayathry Venikiteswaran, and former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

"I try to ensure that I have a good mix of contributors," said Yeoh. "The 14 are of different age, gender, race and political leanings." So, how has Najib fared in his first 100 days?

"I think he has achieved more than what people initially expected," said Yeoh. "When he took his oath, his
popularity rating was a low 41 per cent. After 100 days, it improved to 65 per cent.

"It has been tough from day one for Najib. He took over the Prime Minister's office with a heavy burden of scandalous allegations, poor economic outlook and a crumbling political party. Hence the subtitle, No Honeymoon.

"He handled most of it considerably well. The introduction of the 1Malaysia concept, the merit-based national scholarship and the removal of Bumiputra equity requirement of public listings were some of his good moves.

"His poor ‘report card scores' was mainly his mishandling of the Perak crisis, the clampdown on peaceful
demonstrations and candlelight vigils, and his dominance of the print media.

"Overall, I would give Najib a B+ for his first 100 days. Good, but not flawless."

The 41-year-old writer was born in Kelantan, but spent his childhood in Penang, the United States and Singapore. He graduated in economics from the University of  Texas.

Yeoh has written several titles on IT and judo. He was a former national athlete in judo. This is his first book on politics.

"I have a passion for politics. I  was influenced by my late father, who loved politics. However, both of us only enjoy observing. We don't support any political party and have no interest in participating."

An official launch of the book will be held at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall at 8pm tomorrow. It will be launched by Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz.

Najib's First 100 Days: No Honeymoon can be found at local bookstores and retails at RM20.