NO MORE CHANCES FOR NAJIB: 1MDB first blood drawn in Umno war

In his last battle to remove the incumbent prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad had, among others, thrown the crooked bridge at him and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came tumbling down from the pinnacle of power.

And now tongues are wagging that perhaps the debt-laden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) would be the steel-toe boot to kick Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak out of Putrajaya.

Yesterday, Penang Umno leader Khairuddin Abu Hassan lodged a police report against the troubled government-backed investment fund and warned that he would not hesitate to file a report against Najib as well.

Khairuddin is known as a staunch supporter of Mahathir, so it not surprising that questions are being asked whether his action was on the instructions of certain powerful figures.

Though the Batu Kawan Umno vice-chief claimed that he had turned to the police out of his own volition, that script is far from convincing, and one which has been recycled by Umno for decades.

For a division leader to file a police report against a company that has strong links with his party president and provide additional fodder to the opposition is political suicide. Unless of course, he had been accorded sound protection and promised a substantial reward for sticking his neck out.

As the adage goes, there is no smoke without fire.

On the other hand, Mahathir's track-record is enviable with regard to the deposing of a number of his deputies, a serving prime minister as well as a slew of political opponents.

Just a year shy of becoming a nonagenarian, the former premier is still a wizard in political stratagem and wields tremendous influence in Umno.

Tide has changed

Mahathir's faction had scored a major victory at last month's Umno general assembly after Najib relented and declared that the Sedition Act would stay, despite having vowed to repeal it two years ago.

It was speculated then that certain forces had used the 1MDB as leverage against the prime minister.

Sensing that the tide had changed, even the Oxford-trained Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin discarded his moderate hat during the Umno meet

But right after the meeting concluded, Mahathir ally and former minister Zainuddin Maidin sounded the ominous warning - that while the Sedition Act volte-face had given Najib a political lifeline, his days as prime minister are numbered.

A week later, Mahathir followed with a blog post expressing disappointment that Umno delegates did not raise the 1MDB issue during the annual general assembly.

If it is true that the plan to oust Najib has been put into motion, the next question which needs to be answered is who will succeed him.

Next in line is deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin, but at 67 he is five years older than Najib and apparently hit by health problems, he is seen not keen for the post.

However, Muhyiddin might be convinced to be a seat warmer until the house is set in order for either party vice-presidents Ahmad Zahid Hamidi or Hishammuddin Hussein to take the throne - and for Mahathir to realise his ambition to have his political heir, son Mukhriz, to ascend the ladder. - M'kini