Taking the fight to enemy territory

BN supremo Najib Tun Razak is leading the charge in the political battle but he is not gettting support from his allies.

KUALA LUMPUR: Najib Tun Razak is on the offensive – the prime minister has gone down to the grassroots to make his case and at the same hitting out at the opposition.

For the last two years, he has borne the brunt of the opposition onslaught on him – ranging from his personal life to the policies he had mooted and implemented.

Now he is taking the battle to the enemy territory and his intense “campaigning” has sparked strong speculation that the 13th general election is just around the corner.

Since taking over the helm of the nation in April 2009 from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib had straightened out and strengthened Umno, the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN).

The party has postponed its election this year to next year, a move aimed at staying united before the next general election. In many past instances, Umno has always been plagued with internal feud immediately after the party elections.

With Umno now united and strong, Najib feels more confident to lead the party in the “political war” against Pakatan Rakyat. Already, he has set his mind on taking back Selangor despite the state Umno being divided into three factions – each wanting its leader to be the next menteri besar if the Barisan Nasional succeeds.

Najib is not about to announce who he would pick to head the state if BN succeeds, as this would create more division and disgruntlement. Although Umno appears to be united, any wrong move by the prime minister could create unnecessary rift.

However, Najib’s main worry is still the Chinese-based parties in the ruling coalition – MCA and Gerakan.

Worries for Najib

MCA under Dr Chua Soi Lek has been making all the appropriate noises in its bid to champion the Chinese cause, at times taking on a racial overtone. But the party has yet to regain the confidence of the Chinese community.

The Chinese abandoned the party in 2008 and until today it has yet to return, which is causing a lot of worries to Najib.

Hence, Najib is going to war in Selangor with only Umno following him while MCA leaders can only show moral support without the backing of the Chinese community.

MCA won only two state seats in Selangor in 2008 and has yet to recover from its devastating show. Najib expects MCA to do its work fast as the momentum for the coming general election picks up.

Najib needs Chinese votes to carry him through his plan to wrest back Selangor but MCA is not making things easier for him.

Gerakan, on the other hand, is a lost cause. The party has yet to pick up the pieces since it lost Penang and all the seats it contested in the 2008 general election.

To help Najib in the “Selangor offensive” is out of the question. Gerakan is currently facing internal turmoil, with members calling on their president Koh Ksu Koon to step down.

The internal feud in Gerakan is not about to end anytime soon or in the near future, thus putting the party out of action in the Selangor offensive.

Core issue

Umno and its BN partners have still not got over the 2008 electoral whacking it received from Pakatan allies – PAS, DAP and PKR – which grabbed Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor, and retained Kelantan. It also nearly took Negri Sembilan.

However, BN succeeded in taking back Perak when three Pakatan assemblymen crossed over to become independents. But the defections did not mean the voters have swung back to the BN camp. It is only the assemblymen who came over, and not the voters.

Then Pakatan leaders in the states they ruled began highlighting the weaknesses of the previous BN administrations, forgetting that they were elected to rule the states and develop them.

While the Pakatan-ruled states were busy searching for issues to keep the amber of “hatred towards BN” burning, Najib began introducing policies to bring back confidence to the BN.

He launched the economic transformation plans, followed by political reforms. He amended some of his policies to accommodate the wishes of some dissatisfied quarters.

Najib has succeeded in winning the hearts and minds of the young and new voters through the cyber medium, the vehicle the youths have been using to communicate and exchange views and debate issues with him.

Najib succeeded in directly addressing and debating with them the core issue that matters to them – the future of the nation through education.

He has also succeeded in regaining the trust and confidence of the business community through his economic reforms, which are based on merit rather than on Malay privileges.

Najib is fighting a lone battle and whatever support he can muster – be it from Umno or any other party in the coalition – can be considered a bonus for his efforts.