Pakatan slams Najib for suppressing democracry in Umno to cling to power

Ku Li, Muhyiddin - a changing power equation in Umno

Malaysia Chronicle

Pakatan Rakyat leaders slammed Prime Minister Najib Razak for trying to inhibit democracy in his own Umno party by using the prospect of early general elections as an excuse to defer internal polls by 18 months.

“As usual, Najib is trying to create a mirage. By postponing for such a long time means the 13th general election can be as late as June 2012. Is he doing this for the good of Umno, BN or for himself and his own faction,” PAS treasurer-general Hatta Ramli toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Three-corned fight at the top


In the past months, there has been red-hot speculation that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin would challenge Najib for the Umno presidency. Veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, rejuvenated by the recent Galas by-election victory, has also been approached by members to make it a three-cornered fight.

Najib did not win the Umno top post or the prime minister-ship through election by party members. He succeeded his predecessor Abdullah Badawi, who resigned in his favour in April 2009 after an internal coup plotted by Najib himself and former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

However, the 57-year son of one of Umno founding member, Abdul Razak Hussein, failed to shine both as prime minister and Umno president. He has failed to push through life-breathing reforms into Umno, and till now, has not delivered any significant economic or social program for the nation.

“Najib has been carefully crafting the impression that general elections will be held in the next few months. It looks like he has been plotting such a move of stop the Umno polls and this definitely indicates that the infighting in Umno must be very serious and he is unable to control it,” PKR vice president Tian Chua toldMalaysia Chronicle.

Najib failed to shine


Indeed, Najib has only barely managed to keep the powerful Umno warlords from publicly going after each other. In Perlis, Terengganu, Negri Sembilan, Selangor and even his own home state of Pahang, there are clear factions led by entrenched Umno leaders and they are all demanding for seats to contest in the next general election which must be held latest by mid-2013.

Umno watchers told Malaysia Chronicle these warlords and their supporters were already preparing to launch all-out offensives against each other to win the divisional and central leadership positions.

“Infighting is something that happens routinely in every Umno election especially when the GE is also nearby. But postponing by 18 months has raised eyebrows because the period is too long. Is Najib delaying it for his personal motives? Possibly, he understands he is likely to lose to Muhyiddin and this might be a way for him to cling on for as long as he can,” the observer told Malaysia Chronicle.