Shifting alignments in Umno<\/p>\n
By Joceline Tan<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR: The venue is somewhere in Malaysia's spanking
\nnew city of Putrajaya, the participants are carefully-picked
\nmiddle- and upper-tier leaders from the ruling Umno party, and
\nthe key speaker is none other than Prime Minister and Umno
\npresident Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.<\/p>\n
Dr Mahathir has made time for such sessions with the Umno
\ngrassroots leadership, meeting at least once a month since the
\nparty's elections in May. The sessions, often held over two days,
\nare supposed to be hush-hush affairs but, because of the frank
\nand often blunt nature of the meetings, they have become talking
\npoints in Umno political circles.<\/p>\n
They talk about the topics discussed -- corruption among
\npolitical leaders, Umno's survival, Parti Islam SeMalaysia or
\nPAS' growing strength (somehow, Parti Keadilan Nasional does not
\nscare Umno as much as PAS), and threats to Malay sovereignty, to
\nname a few.<\/p>\n
But what seems to fascinate many of them is the key speaker,
\nDr Mahathir, or rather, the determination, zeal, even passion,
\nwith which he speaks and fields questions from the floor for up
\nto eight hours in a day.<\/p>\n
A party official who attended one such session a month ago was
\nastonished by the stamina and discipline of the 75-year-old
\nPremier. Like many other 30-something and middle-ranking Umno
\nleaders, this party official has known no other prime minister
\nbut Dr Mahathir throughout his adult life.<\/p>\n
The official said: \"I don't know how he does it. He went on
\nfrom 8.30am to 10am, 11am to 1pm, and 2.30pm to 5pm.<\/p>\n
\"He knew we were tired because, after lunch, he told us: 'How
\nnice to be able to take a nap now. But if I were to go to sleep
\nnow, then the rest of the country will also want to do so.'\"<\/p>\n
Dr Mahathir, more than anyone else, is acutely aware that many
\nin the party hold him responsible for the erosion of Malay
\nelectoral support from Umno, following the sacking of former
\nDeputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. And it probably explains why
\nhe seems to be working harder than the rest to win back public
\nopinion, especially Malay public opinion.<\/p>\n
It has become a sort of mission for him. There is an urgency
\nin his effort because, as he tells his audience openly, he does
\nnot have much time left, and he wants to mend the damage while he
\nstill can.<\/p>\n
This is very likely his last term in office despite his
\nadversaries in the opposition claiming over loudspeakers at
\npolitical gatherings that \"the Prime Minister wants to die in
\noffice\".<\/p>\n
Much of Dr Mahathir's time is now spent on party activity. In
\nfact, almost every Umno figure is wont to repeat like a mantra
\nthe need for Umno to unite, work hard and to strengthen the
\nparty. But even as Umno leaders are preoccupied with rejuvenating
\nthe party, political alignments and re-alignments have been
\nquietly in formation since the party elections.<\/p>\n
Much of it is centred around Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,
\nDr Mahathir's deputy and his third heir apparent.<\/p>\n
Datuk Seri Abdullah was confirmed as the party's No 2 -- he
\nwas appointed Deputy Prime Minister a year and a half earlier --
\nwithout a contest.<\/p>\n
The party's supreme council had decided against any contest
\nfor the No 1 and No 2 posts on the grounds that it would cause
\nanother unwelcome split in the party.<\/p>\n
Datuk Seri Abdullah, who hails from a family of Islamic
\nscholars, is a typical Malay gentleman -- soft-spoken, courteous
\nand kind. Underestimated for many years as somewhat soft and from
\nthe old world, he is now beginning to assert himself more
\nauthoritatively.<\/p>\n
Of late, there has been a growing perception that he has grown
\nclose to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, one of the three Umno vice-
\npresidents (VPs), so much so that there is speculation that when
\nthe time comes for him to pick his own No 2, Tan Sri Muhyiddin
\nwill be his likely choice.<\/p>\n
Tan Sri Muhyiddin is also a minister and former Johor Mentri
\nBesar. Datuk Seri Abdullah is actually much closer to another
\nminister, Datuk Dr Rais Yatim, an outstanding member of Dr
\nMahathir's Cabinet.<\/p>\n
Those close to Datuk Seri Abdullah suggest that Datuk Rais
\nwould have been his preferred running mate, except that the Umno
\ntradition has been to pick the second top post in the party from
\namong the three VPs (the other two are Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
\nand Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib).<\/p>\n
Tan Sri Muhyiddin was recently picked to head a committee to
\nreview the party's Constitution. Some think that Datuk Seri
\nAbdullah helped get him the high-profile assignment.<\/p>\n
And, despite baggage from some controversial land deals during
\nhis days as a political warlord in Johor and his close
\nassociation with Anwar, Tan Sri Muhyiddin is generally
\nacknowledged as a workhorse, be it party work or government
\nduties.<\/p>\n
\"He's very professional, knows his stuff, and is serious about
\nwhat he does -- definitely an asset to the party,\" said Mohd Alwi
\nChe Ahmad, an energetic Umno politician from Kelantan.<\/p>\n
He is also a good speaker, less prone to rhetorics than the
\naverage politician, and is analytical without being too abstract,
\nan advantage because the bedrock of Umno's support is still
\nrural, unsophisticated people.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, it is evident that Tan Sri Muhyiddin does not
\nexactly enjoy the Prime Minister's full confidence.<\/p>\n
\"He's still not out of rehabilitation, if you ask me. He is
\ndepending on Pak Lah (Datuk Seri Abdullah) to upgrade him,\" said
\nanother party member.<\/p>\n
Where would a potential Abdullah-Muhyiddin team-up leave the
\nother two VPs? And would they accept it without a murmur?<\/p>\n
Datuk Seri Najib does not have an aggressive political style.
\nHe likes to explore all options before making important decisions
\nor, as he said in an interview, his politics has always been on
\nan \"incremental and step-by-step approach\".<\/p>\n
But there is no doubt the party grassroots think he is
\neminently qualified. He emerged with the most number of votes
\namong the three VPs at the May party elections.<\/p>\n
Next year will be Datuk Seri Najib's 25th year in active
\npolitics. He was only 23 when he became MP of Pekan, upon the
\ndeath of his Prime Minister father Tun Razak.<\/p>\n
His political and administrative experience is unmatched by
\nany other politician of his age -- he is only 47 -- and includes
\na myriad of ministries, as well as the Mentri Besar-ship of
\nPahang. His supporters say that because of his youth, he is more
\nopen to new ideas, to the shifting attitudes among the younger
\ngeneration, and the changes taking place in Malay society.<\/p>\n
But Datuk Seri Najib, said Mr Mohd Alwi, has potential and
\nexperience but nci belum ada nasib (meaning, his time has not
\ncome).<\/p>\n
His political networking is said to be second only to Anwar
\n(when the latter was riding high in the party), and his
\nconnections extend throughout the country, including Sabah,
\nunlike other party leaders whose support lie largely in their
\nhome state.<\/p>\n
It is this strength of his which perhaps makes the Abdullah
\ncamp a little uncomfortable. Datuk Seri Abdullah was given deputy
\npresidency without a contest and, because of that, it is
\ndifficult to gauge his real political strength on the ground.<\/p>\n
Moreover, Datuk Najib has in his camp two of Umno's most
\neffective power brokers -- Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamid and Datuk
\nJamaluddin Jarjis -- both of them are MPs with tremendous clout
\namong the Umno grassroots.<\/p>\n
In that sense, the remaining VP, Tan Sri Muhammad -- variously
\nknown as Mat Taib or Mike Tyson in the party -- might have
\nenjoyed a little more leverage had he been given a Cabinet post.<\/p>\n
Despite falling out of favor with the leadership after being
\ncaught in Australia with undeclared currency, he remains highly
\npopular among segments of the party.<\/p>\n
Among this group, he is seen as someone who can articulate the
\nMalay agenda in a way they can identify with.<\/p>\n
But even those who have grown distant from him since he was
\nforced to resign as Mentri Besar say he is one of Umno's most
\ngenuine grassroots politicians, that he never turns away those
\nwho come to him for help, regardless of whether \"you are somebody
\nbig or just a person down there\".<\/p>\n
It also helps that he is naturally sociable, with oodles of
\ncharisma and charm.<\/p>\n
Said one Umno politician: \"We have never been close but, some
\ntime ago, I went with some people to his house. When he saw me,
\nhe smiled so broadly and then gave me this hug that was so
\ngenuine, as though he was really so happy to see me.\"<\/p>\n
When interviewed, Tan Sri Muhammad said in his usual relaxed
\nway: \"Post or no post, I will always be loyal to the party.\"<\/p>\n
His supporters -- and they do extend beyond his Selangor
\nhomebase -- say it would be premature to dismiss him, given the
\noften unpredictable nature of Umno politics.<\/p>\n
They point to the way he won in the VP race against other more
\nweighted candidates in May. Even if he is no longer a serious
\ncontender for anything more than the VP post, he will remain a
\nformidable power broker because of his grassroots influence. In
\nthat sense, he will still be courted.<\/p>\n
Umno watchers say they do not see Datuk Seri Najib taking on
\nDatuk Seri Abdullah for the No 1 post when Dr Mahathir exits the
\npolitical stage.<\/p>\n
But the Defence Minister, they say, is unlikely to let the No
\n2 post go without a fight. After all, he has come so far and so
\nnear. In the meantime, the thing to watch would be the
\nindividuals and groups that will align or re-align themselves to
\nthese key personalities.<\/p>\n
Very often, it is the people and groups around the key figures
\nwho will determine whether their man should slug it out. They are
\nalso a pretty good indication of who is likely to come out
\nvictorious.<\/p>\n
-- The Straits Times\/Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/shifting-alignments-in-umno-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }