Muhyiddin unlikely to challenge Najib’s Umno presidency, says ex-NST boss

In his blog posting, Kadir said the party’s grassroots should be the ones deciding on Najib’s fate as Umno president and prime minister. - File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is not likely to challenge Datuk Seri Najib Razak for the Umno presidency this year, former New Straits Times (NST) group editor-in-chief Datuk A. Kadir Jasin has said, citing information from unnamed sources.

But the political observer also reminded that it was Muhyiddin and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, with the help of several pro-Umno bloggers, who had become the “catalysts” of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s early retirement in 2009.

Abdullah’s early departure from the post of prime minister effectively hoisted Najib to the powerful position as Malaysia’s chief executive, a position he still occupies today after leading the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) through a divisive general election.

“Muhyiddin and Dr Mahathir still hold that magic key,” Kadir pointed out yesterday in an update to his Wednesday blogposting.

The ex-NSTP boss said he received many phone calls after his Wednesday posting from individuals claiming to have fresh information regarding reactions to the Negeri Sembilan Umno leadership’s recent decision not to pit for challenges to Umno’s number one and number two posts.

In the posting, Kadir appeared to disagree with the state leadership’s decision, saying the party’s grassroots should be the ones deciding on Najib’s fate as Umno president and prime minister.

Without grassroots support, he said, Umno may not have scored the 88 federal seats it won during the divisive Election 2013 - a significant nine seats higher than the 79 it won in Election 2008.

“It would only be reasonable to give them the right to decide if they want Najib’s presidency challenged because Umno would not have won those precious 88 seats if its members or supporters had not resolved to vote for BN on May 5.

“They should also be given the space and opportunity to decide among themselves if they want Najib, whose achievements were lower, to be retained as president (and subsequently as prime minister) when they showed Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi the exit after a greater victory in 2008,” Kadir wrote.

In his blog update, the political commentator wrote of a new theory that although it looks most likely that Najib would not face a leadership challenge, the prime minister might be told to change his leadership style.

“If this theory truly exists and is practical, who would determine the king of changes that Najib should make?” Kadir asked.

He acknowledged that the prime minister’s team of advisers have been receiving a severe beating since the polls, with even former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin calling for their sacking.

Several advisers, Kadir said, are already strategising their exit plan and are eyeing posts in government-linked companies (GLCs) as their new platforms, particularly following the appointment of former minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop as Khazanah Nasional’s deputy chairman.

But Kadir also acknowledged the challenges that Najib still faces in the ongoing perception war, where image and reputation of Umno and BN have been taking a beating.

The negative perception of Umno and BN would only persist, he said, if more open accusations of malpractices and extravagance against its leaders continue to go unanswered.

He cited the example of a claim that the contract to print eight million copies of BN’s manifesto had been awarded at an exorbitant price, and another allegation against one adviser to Najib who was accused of driving a luxury vehicle after the general election.

“If these are lies, say they are lies with facts and figures, and if they are true, what action would the brave PM take?” he asked.

BN survived Election 2013 with a slim majority, scoring only 133 seats to Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) 89, a notable seven-seat margin smaller than its dismal performance in Election 2008.

In his previous posting, Kadir had also acknowledged that Najib had led a presidential-style campaign all through the polls, attempting to use his popularity as a reformist to woo support for BN.

The clear “essence” of the BN campaign, he said, was Najib’s 1 Malaysia platform and the prime minister’s portrayal of himself and his team as all-inclusive, particularly when rallying the Chinese and Indian voters.

But when the polls results saw these communities flee BN’s side and Umno’s popularity soar, Kadir said questions arose over why the vote had gone the direction it did.

“The question is, did Umno perform better because its top leaders placed priority on the party and the Malays, or were the Malays themselves afraid their powers would weaken if the Chinese parties in BN chalked bigger victories?” he asked.