CONTEMPT FOR ANWAR GROWS - UMNO DIVISIONS START TO RUMBLE - NO 2026 FOR ZAHID, NO 2027 FOR ANWAR? - THE LONGER TOK MAT WAITS, THE MORE DANGEROUS IS TEAM ANWAR
KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - Contempt in the nation for embattled Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is rising so fast, not only has his key ally Umno openly mocked him for perceived political cowardice and self-interest - but the clamor is getting louder and more earnest by the day for Foreign Affairs minister Mohamad Hasan to wrest the Umno presidency and begin process of decoupling from Anwar's unity government and leaving the hugely underperforming Anwar in the dust.
“‘Political stability’ is purely for self-interest. Don’t be angry with the people if they hate politicians now," said Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, in a fiery Facebook post following a controversial decision by the speaker of the Parliament seen as aimed to protect Anwar over and above the interests of fair play, political scruples and parliamentary democracy.
"Congratulations on ruining the country, you political frogs," Akmal, who is also the Merlimau assemblyman, raged on.
UMNO GROUND SHAKES WITH ANTI-ZAHID, ANTI-ANWAR WAVE
But even more telling was the upswell of agitation that sprung into the open for Mohamad Hasan, the Umno deputy president, to go for the party's top post now held by Zahid Hamidi, disliked in Umno for being an Anwar apologist as well as for his own corruption scandals.
"I want to tell Mohamad Hasan, why do you want to contest for the deputy president’s post? Contest against Zahid. Contest to be the president, Tok Mat," said Isham Jalil, a former senior leader in Umno recently sacked by Zahid for criticizing his leadership.
Tok Mat, the nickname for Mohmad Hasan, had also joined the fray but in a more subtle way - saying that he was ready to defend his post as the party's No.2. His response, which raised eyebrows, came on the back of three resolutions passed by an Umno division in Tenggara, Johor - one of which had urged for the president and deputy president posts to be contested in the next election due in 2026.
"When Tok Mat says he's ready to defend his post, he's saying he's open for the top two posts to be contested. This indirectly puts pressure on Zahid to agree to allow the presidency to be contested. It was Zahid who pushed for the no-contest rule for the top two posts because he was in a weak position and unfortunately this seems to have worsened even more now," a political analyst told PoliticsNow!
"But what is really stirring interest is that the ground in Umno is now visibly rumbling. Tenggara in Johor, which is Umno's birth state, is the first. There will be other divisions in other states that will follow and create an anti-Zahid and anti-Anwar wave. So 2026 is not safe for Zahid. Neither is 2027 safe for Anwar. When the grassroots and divisions in Umno move in concert, the pressure on Zahid may be so great he may have to step down even before their party election."
NO 2026 FOR ZAHID, NO 2027 FOR ANWAR?
Once the mightiest political party the country has ever known, Umno ruled Malaysia for some six decades without interruption. However, corruption on a scale unimaginable, arrogance and excessive racism towards the minority races finally brought the party to its knees in 2018. Zahid then the deputy president to the infamous Najib Razak of the 1MDB corruption debacle took over the presidency when Najib was forced to resign after losing the 2018 general election - the first time Umno had ever been defeated since the country's independence from colonial rule in 1957.
Both Zahid and Tok Mat later contested and won the presidency and deputy presidency but as Zahid found himself unable to rise above other camps led by Umno bigwigs such as ex-premier Ismail Sabri, Hishammuddin Hussein and Khairy Jamaluddin, he decided to throw his support behind Anwar, who was desperate to form a unity government after failing to snare a simple majority in the 2022 general election.
Umno's 30 seats was the magical number Anwar needed and to persuade Zahid, a swathe of Cabinet and other cushy posts were offered to Umno. Some even accused Anwar of cutting a deal where Zahid would be freed from his corruption charges.
Be that as it may, many in Umno were still unhappy to join Anwar - preferring to align with ex-premier Muhyiddin Yassin's PN opposition bloc which included Pas, currently the most influential Muslim party in Malaysia.
To consolidate his position in Umno, Zahid purged his rivals, slapped on a ban on contests for the party's top two posts - but apparently to no avail. Umno insiders says he is even more unpopular than before and many want him and his 'pal' Anwar out.
"Anwar was formerly from Umno and Zahid was his political secretary. Many in Umno are angry because they see Zahid as giving priority to Anwar above their own party. They want Tok Mat as their new president, and I think the timing is now right to move against Zahid," said the analyst.
"After all Anwar has had 2 years to prove himself but he not only performed badly but he is now pulling the awful types of political shenanigans Umno used to be hated for. The more Anwar is under pressure, the more 'dirty' he plays. So better to stop being seen as being part of the Anwar hemisphere or forever lose the support of the Malays," the analyst continued.
THE LONGER UMNO WAITS, THE MORE UNSCRUPULOUS TEAM ANWAR GETS
The next general election is due in 2027 but few now see Anwar lasting until his full term expires. As the analyst pointed out, the more Anwar's grip on power loosens, the more unscrupulous are the tactics unleashed by his PKR party and Pakatan Harapan coalition.
And this makes it even more dangerous and difficult for those in Umno wishful to rebuild their party but yet unwilling to kowtow to Anwar and Zahid as their 'overlords'.
“This party (Umno) cannot be used as a shield to defend certain individuals," said Akmal.
“Today, the people want principled leaders. If something is wrong, we will say it is wrong. If it is right, we will say it is right," continued Akmal.
His no-holds-barred barrage came following a much disrespected and criticized decision by Johari Abdul, the speaker of Parliament and a member of Anwar's PKR party, to not call for by-elections in six seats held by former members of the Bersatu opposition party. The rogue six had gone against their party line by declaring support and loyalty to Anwar but refused to to resign from the opposition so as not to trigger the anti-hopping law. Anwar has been accused of using the loophole in the law to 'pinch' them from the opposition by offering them government funds for their constituencies.
"We are not cattle with rings in our noses to be led around. In Umno, we are taught to have principles and most importantly have dignity. Umno has its dignity," was Akmal's parting shot.
Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow!
https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com/
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