Salleh: Umno will fall – by Mahathir’s doing

Sabah speaker apes Chedet blog, says former premier will weaken the party and worsen the situation.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah speaker Salleh Keruak, in a blog article that parodies the writing style of Mahathir Mohamad, has turned the tables on the former prime minister by warning that it is Mahathir who will weaken Umno and Barisan Nasional and cause it to fall.

Salleh aped Mahathir’s format of point-by-point numbered paragraphs, Mahathir’s one-word headlines, as well as the short, staccato sentences that the former premier uses.

He also repeated Mahathir’s constant warnings that Umno and Barisan Nasional were in danger of losing the general election — but this time, it was Salleh who is warning party members, and it is Dr Mahathir, not current Umno president Najib Razak, who is being blamed as the cause of Umno’s weakness.

To make the point clear, Salleh said Mahathir had a hidden agenda in attacking 1Malaysia Development Bhd for its financial difficulties.

And he warned Umno members not to be trapped by one side’s views.

Salleh wrote:

“5. Tun M has even predicted that BN will lose the upcoming GE if the issue (of 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s financial difficulties) is not resolved. Therefore, the support shown for the president of UMNO by the divisional leaders is meaningless if BN fails.

6. In my opinion, Tun M’s blog entry seems to have a hidden agenda. The purpose is to topple Najib and his strategy is to keep up the pressure on the PM.

7. After reading Tun M’s blog, I feel that Umno is the one that stands to lose from all this. I say this because of the waning support for Umno which will worsen the situation. BN and Umno will become weak and this in turn will make the government unstable.

8. Therefore, members of BN and Umno should be more open-minded and not blindly accept any views. It should be analysed, filtered and compared to that of others.”

Salleh then makes clear where he stands. Under the headline “Tun M”, he reiterates Najib Razak’s warnings in Kedah on Saturday about trouble-makers in the party and the need to be rid of them.

Salleh wrote:

*TUN M*

9. What is most important is that we are always alert and careful towards personal attacks. Do not be easily trapped by the view of only one party.

10. Najib had cautioned the members of Umno at the Kedah Umno convention that they need to stick together and remain united to strengthen the party for the upcoming GE.

11. Najib says that members of Umno should make the party’s strength and the aim to win the GE a priority by setting aside their personal interests.

12. According to Najib, the party’s internal problems should be reduced to ensure that the people’s support remains with Umno.

13. Among the ‘pull factor’ (factor to get the public to support Umno) are team spirit, reduce internal problems and do not attack each other. Do not create two teams in one party that we fell caught in the middle, says Najib.

14. He openly reminded the Umno members to purge those with bad character and “tukang kipas” who try to pit one against the other that threatens the unity among the members.

15. According to Najib, Umno has the ability to stay in power and win the GE if those with bad characters are no longer within the party.”

Dr Mahathir, a fierce critic of Najib and 1Malaysia Development Bhd, wrote a stinging and critical blog piece on Friday, which called for an immediate police forensic audit of 1MDB. He also questioned the wealth of Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz.

The blog suffered “unusually heavy traffic”, which might have been a cyberattack, causing the site administrator to suspend the site, before restoring it hours later.

A day later, Najib Razak went to Kedah to open the state Umno convention, and in the presence of Mahathir’s son Mukhriz, who is Kedah menteri besar, warned against trouble-makers who were out to split the party for their own ends.