HAS A MUTINY BEGUN AGAINST ANWAR & ZAHID? IS UMNO'S MAT HASAN READY TO MAKE HIS MOVE - SECURE THE PM POST FOR UMNO? KICK OUT ZAHID AT SAME TIME?

 

Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow!

KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - It looks like embattled Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing a near mutiny in his own Cabinet, with Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan the latest Umno leader to distance himself and publicly point the finger directly at Anwar - if the BlackRock deal goes through, he's the one responsible, not me!

Despite the suave words, Mohamad Hasan's meaning was unmistakable - so much so, his party boss and Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi had to scurry to damage control so as to save face for Anwar.

"We Umno ministers opined that if possible, this (MAHB share sale) should not proceed, but the transaction is too advanced,' Mohamad Hasan was quoted as saying by Malay daily Sinar Harian.

"But we hope... we don't know if it will proceed or not, it is out of our hands because Khazanah Nasional is under the Finance Ministry," he added without having to join the dots that it is Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, who will make the final decision and has the power to block the deal if he wants to.

The comment from Mohamad Hasan immediately stirred up a buzz in Malaysia's hyperactive political scene as he is seen as the frontrunner in the race to replace Anwar as the next prime minister, be that after the next general election due in 2027 or even before that.

Mohamad Hasan is also the deputy president of Umno, which is the biggest and most powerful Malay party ruling the country with absolute authority for six decades before extreme corruption and ultra racism ended its hegemony in 2018. Even so, without the 30 seats the now-weakened Umno won in the 2022 general election and the close ties between Zahid and Anwar, the current unity government would not be formed and Anwar could not have become PM.

IS MAT HASAN READY TO MAKE HIS MOVE? THE TIMING IS RIGHT, SAY PUNDITS

Khairy, left, Mat Hasan, right

According to pundits, the comments made by Mohamad Hasan, known for his calm demeanour, appear to be deliberate and a sign that those in Umno who have kept quiet about Zahid's unpopular decision to align their party with Anwar's Pakatan Harapan coalition are ready to draw battle lines.

"Team Anwar likes to throw around the question 'who else if not Anwar' - as though there is so little talent in the country," a pundit told PoliticsNow!

"The answer is of course there are plenty who can replace Anwar and even do a better job. Unfortunately some are just not ready, like Khairy Jamaluddin, the former Health Minister. But Mat Hasan is a very different political animal and I would say he is very ready to advance his career. He always had grassroot support and now he has federal Cabinet experience as Defense Minister and Foreign Minister. 

"The timing is also right because Anwar's star is dimming fast while Zahid's is already in twilight zone. If Mohamad Hasan brings back talent like Khairy to rejoin Umno, he has my money to become PM via a new collaboration with Bersatu, Pas or even with Pakatan again because within Pakatan, DAP thinks well of him. Anwar's PKR party won't like it but who cares about them after the mess they made by clamping down on anyone who criticizes Anwar."

The increasingly despotic stance taken by Anwar to stay as PM has also angered many in the country. Malays, who form 55% of the country's population, are especially irked as Anwar's unpopular Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil ramps up a crack down on social media like Tik Tok, which the Malays love, as well as freedom of speech.   

"This is shocking and disturbing to all right-minded Malaysians," said Zaid Malek, director of human rights group Lawyers for Liberty amid news of a plan to require social media platforms to get licensed if they want to operate in Malaysia. 

"It is yet another clear indication of the Anwar government's bid to stifle and control freedom of speech, continuing the current trend of clamping down on public discourse under the guise of stemming supposed harmful and illegal content," added Zaid.

ZAHID'S HEAD TO ALSO ROLL?

DPM Zahid Hamidi

With Anwar seen U-turning on the reforms he promised voters and his Pakatan coalition now accused of the very political hypocrisy they used to accuse Umno and the PN opposition of, there is little enthusiasm in the country for them to continue to rule Malaysia.

Zahid, whose popularity within Umno has been sinking despite harsh moves that included purges and mass sackings of party rivals, is also in queue for the political guillotine he had used so freely against his foes.

While Zahid had managed to convince Mohamad Hasan to team up and join forces with Anwar to form a unity government in 2022, the rumor mills have been busy with talk of growing coldness between the Umno No.1 and No.2. It is becoming obvious that more Umno members now favour Mohamad Hasan to be their party president than Zahid, according to party watchers.

“The opinion voiced out by Mohamad Hasan is his personal opinion, and I met with him last night.He said the statement was his own take on the matter, and does not represent Umno’s official stance,” Malay daily Berita Harian quoted Zahid as saying as he tried to suppress talk of a growing rift in the Anwar administration, with Umno ministers allegedly giving the PM an ultimatum not to proceed with the BlackRock deal.

The BlackRock deal is closely watched by Malay-Muslims, who form the predominant electorate in the country. They are sensitive to the deal as it is seen as pro-Israel, with BlackRock having been revealed as among the chief suppliers of deadly arms and weapons to Israel in the Palestine conflict.

BlackRock unit GIP had led a consortium of four to take over the Malaysian government-controlled MAHB, which manages almost all the airports in the country. Not only does the deal run against the grain in the Muslim world, which has called for a boycott of all things Israeli and pro-Israeli, many Malaysians are shocked that Anwar would actually sell what would effectively be a 30% stake in the very profitable MAHB to a US-linked entity.

"Apart from geo-politics and solidarity with Palestine, why sell what is a strategic asset to a foreign entity. It is as good as punching a hole in our own national security," said the pundit. 

Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow!

https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com/