Analysts fault Najib for Terengganu crisis

'He lacks foresight as Umno president.'

PETALING JAYA: Political analysts have blamed Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for the Terengganu crisis, with one saying he lacks foresight as Umno’s supreme leader.

“He should have known that this would happen,” analyst Khoo Kay Peng said in an interview with FMT. “Most people do not take losing their perks and benefits favourably.”

Khoo was referring to former menteri besar Ahmad Said’s declaration that he was leaving Umno following last Monday’s appointment of Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman to replace him.

Ahmad had signed a post-dated later of resignation a year ago under an arrangement with Umno’s top leadership.

“Najib should have known that using a resignation letter alone would not work,” Khoo said.

Ahmad yesterday did an about-turn and said he was not leaving Umno after all. Two assemblymen who said they were following him out of Umno are also expected to return, fulfilling a prediction by analyst A Kadir Jasin that a crisis could be averted “if the price is right”.

However, other observers have said it was too early to say that the crisis would not develop.

“This situation could trigger fresh polls and what happened in Perak might also repeat,” Khoo said in reference to the 2009 constitutional crisis sparked by the defection of three assemblymen from Pakatan Rakyat.

“People will lose confidence in Najib’s governance and this will create instability in the future,” he added.

James Chin, an analyst teaching at Monash University, said he suspected that negotiations between Najib and Ahmad had not been carried out properly, resulting in the latter being unhappy with his “retirement package”.

“With Umno, it’s all about what one can get in terms of perks and benefits,” he said.

He believes that the situation would not have been different even if Najib had complied with Ahmad’s wish for the resignation to be postponed for a week.

Chin agreed with Khoo that the crisis would not end with a PAS-Umno unity government.

“Who’s going to be the menteri besar? Umno will definitely not let anyone from PAS become menteri besar,” said Chin.

He also dismissed the possibility of a fresh election in the state, saying Umno would prevent it “at all costs” because of a “strong possibility” that it would lose.