Najib moves to pre-empt Dr M, Muhyiddin:Red-hot talk Parliament to be dissolved before CNY

Malaysia's ever-busy electoral grapevine has shot into overtime with leaders from both sides of the political divide, especially embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak, spurred into a tizzy of late-minute action by a mammoth rally that took place in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend.

The latest speculation is that Parliament will be dissolved before the Chinese New Year (celebrated on February 10 and 11), with balloting to be carried out before the end of the same month.

This rumor overtook talk that erupted just a day ago that Najib, who is fighting for his political life, was targeting February 19 to dissolve the Dewan Rakyat, post nominations on Feb 25 and go to the ballot boxes on March 11.

"Yes, suddenly there are hot rumors all over town and it is hard to manage but we are preparing for all scenarios. I think Najib knows either way, he will get kicked out by the Pakatan Rakyat or by his own party. Even his supporters are saying this - that he might as well take a chance. They are hoping that gerrymandering and electoral fraud can help to take him through," Dr Tan Kee Kwong, head of PKR's disciplinary committee, told Malaysia Chronicle.

Frightened by historic rally

Indeed, speculation on the GE13 date has intensified following Saturday's massive rally that was supported by the Pakatan Rakyat. The attendance of several hundreds of thousands of people from all walks and levels of life had exceeded last year's Bersih 3.0 rally, which had attracted 250,000 Malaysians to gather and clamor for free and fair polls.

The Jan 12 HKR#KL112 rally was a chilling eyeopener for Najib, former premier Mahathir Mohamad and their Umno-BN coalition, which has ruled Malaysia since 1957.

Some believe the sheer might of support seen at the rally for Anwar and his PR coalition might quicken the tempo of an internal bid within Umno to oust Najib, forcing him to relinquish the Umno presidency and prime minister's chair to his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin.

"The KL rally frightened Mahathir too, not just Najib. It's a Catch 22 for both men. Mahathir accepts that by replacing Muhyiddin with Najib, it would help boost Umno's morale going into GE13. It cannot be denied Najib has too many corruption and sex scandals, he is actually the most impaired candidate in the BN candidates list. So I won't be surprised if Najib will use the KL rally as an excuse to spring a surprise to foil any move by Mahathir and Muhyiddin to topple him," PKR MP for Batu Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Move to pre-empt Dr M, Muhyiddin?

Wearied by Najib's vacillating over the GE13 date, many Malaysians had expected the last possible timing which would be some time in June. Very strong rumors that Umno might replace Najib with Muhyiddin had bolstered this view, given that the latter would need time to get the country and his own party used to him in his new role.

However, it may not matter whether Muhyiddin replaces Najib before GE13 is held or not, as many politicians believe Najib is on the way out even if BN manages to retain the federal government.

Umno watchers say nothing short of a landslide victory could cover for his lack of performance and controversial personal life that have include hefty and numerous shopping sprees on public expense for himself and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

"If BN loses power, Najib of course is not going to survive as the premier. But if BN wins the elections, albeit with a smaller majority, will Umno leaders and members allow Najib to lead the party?" Liew Chin Tong, the DAP MP for Bukit Bendera, had commented in a statement.

"Undercurrents in Umno have always existed. But somehow it is more visible recently. The party is probably troubled by the fact that Najib is no game-changer in winning extra Malay support for Umno while at the same time failing in getting non-Malay support through his 1Malaysia slogan."

Elections by AMBUSH: Don't forget to debate Anwar

Even if Najib were to delay, he can only stay in power for a few more months. The five-year mandate given to his Umno-BN coalition will end on April 28, with Parliament set to dissolve automatically for a landmark tilt that analysts have said may yield the country's first ever-regime change.

Despite calls from the people and investors to stop the guessing game and fix a date for the 13th general election, Najib has refused to end the uncertainty.

Some say this reflected a lack of confidence in the outcome of the vote. Others believe that Najib was biding for the best time to get his own Umno party to support him, with insiders speculating that he would unveil a candidates list that would see many incumbent lawmakers displaced and disadvantage many of Umno's fractious 'warlords' as he pushed to empower his own men.

"There are no two ways about it and this sort of system where it is left to one man to decide at his whim and fancy cannot go on. To Najib, this is like a big joke. But members of the public and investors are not laughing. Everyone with any sort of stake in Malaysia has a right to know what sort of form and shape will the next government take," said Kee Kwong.

"This unnecessary secrecy only supports the view that Najib and BN have no confidence in winning GE13, hence the election by ambush strategy. For a man, who cannot control his own wife, how can he control Malaysia's destiny. If he is man enough, he should straight away accept Anwar's invitation to debate so that people can watch and evaluate for themselves which leader has more to offer."

Malaysia Chronicle