Unlike Dr M who liked to sack, Najib appeases Umno rivals with 'GIFTS' but can he succeed?

KUALA LUMPUR - Unlike former leader Mahathir Mohamad who would sack anyone seen as a potential threat to his power, Prime Minister Najib Razak continues to pacify and appease his rivals.

Najib's strategy is simple or even simplistic. He tries to make both friends and foes grateful to him. Obviously, it is not a tenable strategy - politically or otherwise - because he will soon find himself out of goodies to offer while those whom he is trying to appease will only get more demanding. This is why Najib's game plan has hit a snag - a major one that can take him out of action as both PM of Malaysia and president of Umno.

Look at how he successfully 'tamed' Paul Low, the former outspoken president of Transparency International Malaysia, and P Waythamoorthy, the ex-Hindraf leader who launched a huge lawsuit against the Malaysian government. Najib managed to shut them up by appointing them as minister and deputy minister in his Cabinet. But while Paul Low is still keeping a low profile, Waytha has already broken ranks and is now in BN hot soup for speaking up against the police over a bloody shootout in Penang.

Maverick Mahathir too fell into Najib’s trap when he and son Mukhriz accepted Najib's offer of the Kedah chief minister's post. Now, Mukhriz is safely ensconced in the top Kedah post, Mahathir has to give 'some' face to Najib and be less critical and more supportive. But does that mean Mahathir is fully satiated or will never attack Najib again?

Of course not. But even if Mahathir is biding his time, bit by bit Najib is chipping away at the older man's influence by handing out goodies all round and if Mahathir is not careful, he may find himself left without many followers who are willing to openly challenge Najib.

Ali Rustam in focus

And this is actually what is happening in Umno right now.

With the party election just 2 months away and the federal government's bounty so abundant, Najib may believe he can 'bribe' his way comfortably to the finishing line. This is why he may reckon he has a chance of defending the Umno presidency even if Mahathir were to lead an all-out charge against him.

This may also be why Najib is still busily turning foes to friends and he is getting more confident by the day that things will eventually work out in his favour. Najib's ultimate aim is of course to win a landslide victory in the coming UMNO elections, and finally be able to call the shots in the badly fragmented party.

Right now, the focus is on an Umno bigwig whom Najib is trying to 'indoctrinate'. This none other than the former Malacca chief minister, Ali Rustam.

When Ali Rustam lost the Bukit Katil state seat during the May 5 general election, it surprised many people including Ali himself. But frankly, Ali should have been more alert. Rumours had been going around for more than a year that Najib was preparing Idris Harun to replace him.

When the results were announced, Ali Rustam had sworn he would never forget those who "betrayed" him. But even so, when face to face with Najib now, he has to play the game and only just a week ago accepted the lame-duck post of PUNB chief, replacing Khairy Jamaluddin who has since moved up to apparently brighter prospects.

Disarming and re-charming potential threats

According to the Umno grapevine, Najib had moved against Ali Rustam because he saw the popular Malacca MB as a potential threat to himself. In the 2008 Umno election, Ali Rustam was clearly ahead of Muhyiddin Yassin in the contest for the deputy presidency and would have become Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister if he had not been found guilty of money politics and suspended from contesting.

At that time, Ali Rustam was seen as loyal to Najid's predecessor Abdullah Badawi. While he and Badawi may still be close, Ali Rustam is now also associated to a group that is not happy with Najib.

The former Malacca chief minister also has several problems that those close to Najib say would not be good for their team. These problems include several corruption-tainted projects that have flopped in Malacca such as the monorail and the planetarium. But since Najib is also endorsing Women's chief Shahrizat Jalil, who is also tainted by corruption in the NFC scandal, it looks more like Ali Rustam was 'done in' purely for political reasons.

Senator's post, no less

Be that as it may, Ali Rustam is the next Umno leader Najib has to tame or risk a wild card situation that might end up in his losing the upper hand to his rivals, such as Muhyiddin and Mahathir.

Due to his popularity in Umno, Ali Rustam still has many loyal supporters both at the state leadership and grass root levels. He has been in charge of Melaka since 1999, when Idris Harun was still a ‘toddler’ without any strong foothold except within his own constituency in Tangga Batu. If Ali Rustam is not tamed now, he may pose a real threat to Idris Harun in the next general election and this will look bad on Najib.

With the power of the Malacca state government behind him, Ali Rustam has now to struggle on his own for his political future and the future of his loyal supporters. Insiders say he had expressed a desire to contest for one of the 3 vice-presidencies that are up for grabs in the Umno poll, and that piece of information was leaked to the press. So far, Ali has confirmed he will be contesting but declined to specify which post.

What is Ali's real aim, whether it is a genuine interest or a mere threat so that Najib would hurry to send over some 'gifts' is anybody’s guess. But why should one expect Ali Rustam not to take advantage of the situation and try to 'squeeze' Najib for some 'compensation' for allegedly taking away his state seat?

In the Umno scheme of things, you can't blame guys like Ali Rustam and Ibrahim Ali for feeling sore. After all, Paul Low and Waythamoorthy got their cushy appointments without have done anything for Umno. People like Ezam Mohd Nor and Abdul Wahid the ex-Maybank CEO are also luckier than Ali Rustam and Ibrahim Ali!

As such, it came as no surprise that the latest news 'leak' is that Ali Rustam is now hankering after a Senator's post. And to prevent any problems in the UMNO contest for the VP positions, such as split votes, Najib may have to agree.

A place for everyone and everyone in place, well almost

As for Shahrizat, she is like the proverbial phoenix risig from the ashes. Almost. She still has to win the Wanita post before she can be sure that her political future in Umno is safe. Or as safe as it can be given Umno's snake-pit type of infighting. Like Ali Rustam, Shahrizat has her own charm over the women in Umno and many still support her despite her infamous Cow-gate scandal.

At the moment, even Shahrizat is ahead of Ali Rustam in that Najib has already appointed her a Special Adviser with full ministerial perks. Former Johor chief minister Abdul Ghani Othman too has managed to squeeze a goodies out from Najib. Ghani is the new chairman of Sime Darby, a much more powerful corporate animal than Ali Rustam's obscure PUNB.

Johor Umno leader Nur Jazlan too has been give the prestigious post of chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, while another Najib 'loyalist' Abdul Azeez - despite being a mere Form Five school leaver without a tertiary education - has been made the chairman of Tabung Haji, which manages billions of ringgit of pilgrims' money.

Lembah Pantai Umno chief Raja Nong Chik, Pengerang MP Azalina Othman as well as Ibrahim Ali are also in line to get 'something' in the end. However Khir Toyo, Mohd Zin and Saifuddin Abdullah can just watch, they are not threats to Najib, or rather they cannot help Najib so there is no reason why he would help them either.

Horse-trading rampant at all levels

This is why Ali Rustam is being watched with keen interest within Umno circles. His situation typifies the horse-trading going on in the party at all levels. Umno members want to know what Najib will offer Ali Rustam so that he will agree to drop out of the overcrowded VP contest, leaving the field safe for Najib's men - namely, Hishammuddin Hussein, Zahid Hamidi and Shafie Apdal - to defend the status quo.

Finally, Ali Rustam's decision will have some impact or other on the outcome of the Umno poll. It depends on which side one is reviewing the matter. Some say Najib is being smart. Others say all the moves Najib has made so far show how desperate he really is. And this is why he is facing continuous attacks from every front.

If Najib's game was up to mark, said his critics, the rebellion and open revolt in Umno would have faded or be fading by now. Instead, it looks like his foes are merely getting their second wind before launching another and this time 'fatal' assault.

Remember, Najib had postponed by a good 3 weeks the nominations day for the Umno polls and balloting day by a good two weeks to October 19. As such, his enemies too had gone underground again, hiding until the time is right to openly strike.

Malaysia Chronicle