It looks like former prime minister Abdullah Badawi is pre-empting his successor Najib Razak's move to oust him from his long-held Kepala Batas seat so as to make way for Najib's own men as the latter scrambles to consolidate his waning grip on their Umno party.
"Najib and Mahathir are making their move now. It is clear they will hold the Umno party election before the country's 13th general election. They have enough excuses to give to party's Supreme Council that if they rush into GE-13, they may lose the federal government," PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
"That may be true but they are also hedging their bets. This way, they can get rid of all their enemies inside Umno and put all their own men on board the state and parliamentary seats. Then, even if they don't do well in GE-13, they won't have to face an ouster and can still hang onto their party posts and have a say in national politics."
More shakeups on the way
It is telling that just a day ago, former minister Kadir Sheik Fadzi launched a new political party Ikatan, which aims to revive the 'old Umno' spirit and to break away from Najib's current brand of politicking that plays on racism and religious bigotry.
The current 'Umno' is actually Umno Baru and was established by former premier Mahathir Mohamad after a power tussle with Tengku Razaleigh in the 1980s that split the party down the line resulting in the 'original' Umno being de-registered.
Kadir, who resigned from Umno, last month is regarded as being a centrist or liberal within the party. Despite his current low profile, there are many influential Umno stalwarts who sympathize with him and may even join his Ikatan should Najib and Mahathir overplay their hand. Some of the more moderate Umno leaders include Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Sabaruddin Chik.
"Ikatan is the direct result of Umno infighting and unhappiness with Mahathir. Many are upset at how Najib is bending backwards to please him and adopting all the outdated hardline and right-wing measures that have actually backfired and worsened Umno's image. But Mahathir doesn't see it that way. He thinks Umno should be even harsher and has been warning that if BN loses GE-13, they won't relinquish power peacefully," said Tian.
No direct statement from Pak Lah
While Pak Lah did not issue any statement that he would not contest the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat he has held since 1978, Umno-linked news portals buzzed with speculation of who would be nominated in his place.
"This Umno's way of sounding out the ground. Even if Pak Lah wants to retire, he would want to ensure who takes over his stronghold. You don't build up a base just to let go like that. If he had his wish, Kepala Batas would go to Khairy - that's for sure," an Umno watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.
He was referring to Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who is under pressure in his own Rembau constituency and the odds are currently for PKR's Chegubard or Badrul Hisham Shahrin to beat him for the Negri Sembilan seat.
Indeed, there has been talk of 'helicoptering' Khairy to Pak Lah's Penang bastion. But how to do so without losing face and drawing ridicule from within Umno itself.
Khairy's 'puppet' vs Najib's 'winnable' but will either win?
According to the Malaysian Insider, at least two Umno leaders are scrambling for Kepala Batas. They are Kepala Batas Umno Youth chief Reezal Merican Naina Merican and former Malaysian ambassador to the Philippines, Ibrahim Saad, the former Tasik Gelugor MP and deputy minister.
“Ibrahim seems to have the upper hand with his old boys network while Reezal is seen as a mamak. But Pak Lah wants Reezal to replace him,” a source told The Malaysian Insider, referring to Reezal’s South Indian Muslim ancestry.
But apart from the 'mamak' factor, Reezal is not a popular choice because he is also seen as Khairy's 'puppet'.
Ibrahim, who was the Penang deputy chief minister when BN ruled the state, is seen as a frontrunner as he is seen to be close to Najib.
Pak Lah, who was known as 'Sleeping Beauty' for a nondescript tenure, was prime minister from 2003 to 2009. According to the Malaysian Insider, he won the Kepala Batas seat for the eighth time in 2008 with a majority of 11,246 votes when he polled 23,445 against PAS’s Subri Mohd Arshad who garnered 12,199 votes.
Malaysia Chronicle
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.