Power play in Umno: The power brokers and who do they support?

Four people want to control UMNO or at least want to be able to control the UMNO president, whoever that may be at any given time or year.

The most powerful of these four men and the one who has the most at stake is former premier Mahathir Mohamad. Next is the fabulously rich former Finance minister Daim Zainuddin, former premier Abdullah Badawi and another former Finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who holds the least clout amongst the 4 most influential power-brokers in UMNO.

Analyzing the UMNO elite's current game plan, it looks like it's Mahathir's kitchen that is the most busy at the moment. The feisty 85-year-old who ruled Malaysia for 22 years is said to have given the thumbs up to Najib. But in reality, it is more of a goodbye gesture!

Goodbye Greedy-Najib

Mahathir realizes now that Najib has his own agenda; to be in power and establish his family and relatives in long-term businesses that may later cross or rival those interests held by his sons - Mokhzani, Mirzan and even Mukhriz.

But ambitious as Mahathir may be, due to the talent vacuum in UMNO, the only horse that he can rely on is just Muhyiddin Yassin, the deputy prime minister.

The connection between Mahathir and Muhyiddin goes back a long way, when Muhyiddin together with Defense minister Zahid Hamidi were part of an UMNO faction called the Wawasan 2020 team led by Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar, now the Opposition Leader, was then the UMNO deputy president and Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. But Mahathir, fearful of losing his seat to the extremely popular Anwar, decided to sack him on manifestly trumped-up sodomy charges.

Mahathir's horse

Both Muhyiddin and Zahid had been 'devoted' lieutenants to Anwar then. Thus, to swing them back to his side, Mahathir promised both men some very important positions that would yield great benefits in the longer term, although they may not seem lucrative then. Mahathir did all he could to to isolate Anwar, and this is why Muhyiddin and Zahid are still Mahathir’s men.

Recently, Muhyiddin tried to stand up to Mahathir by insisting on going through with a ban on teaching mathematics and science in English. But teaching the two subjects in English is Mahathir's prized legacy and sure enough, Mahathir straightaway issued comments that amounted to a public scolding for Muhyiddin.

Muhyiddin's supporters had no choice but to bite the bullet. Muhyiddin was just trying to score brownie points with the Malay electorate, they clarified, claiming that Mahathir also needed Muhyiddin to "be his horse".

Daim, Badawi and Ku Li would prefer to back Najib

As for Daim, the former Finance minister will only support Najib because Muhyiddin is already Mahathir’s man. Daim had been caught scheming under Mahathir’s nose when he was the Finance Minister. All the banks and the rich Malays tycoons are Daim’s men. So far Najib has not dug up any dirt on Daim. Even for RM12bil PKFZ financial debacle, Najib took pains to ensure that only the parts connected to Mahathir were revealed.

Badawi too has no choice but to support Najib because Mahathir is still mad with him for reversing several of his mega projects including the crooked bridge to Singapore. As far back as 2004, Badawi made Muhyiddin the Agriculture Minister, regarded as a lowly ministry. Even then, Badawi knew Muhyiddin was Mahathir’s man.

Despite approving the NFC cattle livestock project and awarding the stewardship of the project to the family of Shahrizat Jalil, Muhyiddin did not fully defend the debacle and he let Badawi's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin answer for everything.

Mahathir is also very angry with Khairy. Mahathir also hates Rosmah. Khairy has no hope other then to align himself with Najib. Khairy was the one who defended Najib when he was accused of using public money to attend the engagement party of his daughter in Kazakhstan. Then again, if Khairy had been more tactful over the Kazakh episode, fewer people would have known of it, prompting suspicion that Khairy may be playing a "double-game".

Nevertheless, Tengku Razaleigh or Ku Li, if given a choice between Muhyiddin and Najib, he would definitely support Najib since he also knows that Muhyiddin is Mahathir’s man.

So it looks like Mahathir and Muhyiddin are one team, while Badawi, Daim and Najib form the other team.

Mahathir Mohamad

First and foremost, Mahathir wants to wield power. He resigned with mixed feelings. He was not able to accomplish many things and was actually very reluctant to lose power. Yet he knew that he had committed too many blunders and Malaysia was going south too rapidly, he knew he must wash his hands and let someone else to take the fall.

From the economy to corruption to social integration, the judiciary to the police to the institutions, Mahathir had erred in all his decisions. He was desperate to protect his name and legacy.

He also had his sons' future, their businesses and political careers to care about. Not to mention, his cronies and diehard supporters had to be protected too. After all they were the ones who have been relentlessly supporting him from day one until now.

Make no mistake, Mahathir still wants to hold on to power.

Daim Zainuddin

Daim is different. He just wants to make sure that no one will dig into his past and spoil everything that he has built, at least while he is still alive. Some say he is keen to make more money and have young girls as his companions. Other than that he couldn’t be bothered whether UMNO wins the GE-13 or not.

But still if he can maintain the present status quo, why not? It would be much easier for him to lead his daily life without being bothered by the never-ending politicking. Daim is like a sleeping tiger; just wants not to be disturbed.

Abdullah Badawi

Badawi on the other hand is worried and afraid. He is concerned and needs to ensure that his brother and other relatives, including his son and son-in-law will not be taken to task by the authorities or be hated by the rakyat(populace).

We all know that his son Kamaluddin was involved with Scomi which was accused of supplying centrifugal machines to an aggressive nation to enrich Uranium. His brother Ibrahim and several others have been accused of siphoning profits from MAS.

Perhaps, what Badawi wants most of all is to see his beloved son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin climb out of his current rut and back into the full swing of power once again. Badawi not only has a soft spot for Khairy but Khairy has been more than a son-in-law. Khairy was the one who jumped into the open grave to receive the body of his beloved late wife Endon, when she was lowered to her final resting place. Khairy did it with so much care and respect that not even Badawi's own son could match him. That was most unforgettable and touching to Badawi, and it had an everlasting impact on him and his love for Khairy.

Sentiment and affect aside, Badawi also believes that Khairy has the potential to make it as a top leader. He sees in Khairy the only hope for UMNO and wants Khairy to be given full support and not be sidelined. Badawi cares about his sons and relatives. He also knows that if Khairy was in power, Kamaluddin and his other relatives will be safe!

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

At 74, Ku Li is still ambitious. He has already made a lot of money, has a stable bank of supporters and has built an image of himself as some sort of a noble and royal statesman. He still can’t get over how he was cheated of the UMNO presidency by Mahathir, an event that led to the demise of the “old” UMNO and the formation of the now defunct Semangat 46. Like a dormant volcano, Ku Li still has some latent heat and power.

The desire for the top post is still there, burning day and night, but he has been too cautious. The post was within his grasp and he was against the most powerful Mahathir himself, so mere stooges like Badawi and Najib should just be easy meals.

Yet the opportunity is not there for him to jump into. Thus Ku Li is always on the prowl like all the other three major power brokers. He is not interested in other things except to be the PM, no matter how and when. Still, time is not on his side.

Since Ku Li no longer has no major network within the UMNO system, he has to seek help from outside. He has to do a joint-venture somehow because there is a slim chance - but still a chance - that he can achieve his life's ambition. And this is why he formed Amanah, to further interact and to become more familiar with the opposition parties.

Ku Li has also refrained from criticizing the Pakatan Rakyat but is critical on the UMNO-BN government. There is no need for him to directly challenge Najib, Muhyiddin or even Mahathir at this moment. He need not complicate things; he just needs to play safe. He is the silent predator. Ku Li is having an open door policy and unlike Mahathir, Daim and Badawi, he just wants to be PM.

What about Prime Minister Najib Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin then? Well, they are just minor warlords in their own territories. None of them really have the power to be on their own.

Malaysia Chronicle