Tun Mahathir Mohamad is stepping up his attacks to pressure Prime Minister Najib Razak to resign, but who will fill the seat of the Prime Ministeris still unclear and seems to be contentious.
The former prime minister has several times mentioned that Najib's successor should be Muhyiddin Yassin due to the latter's current position as the number two in the Umno party.
If you follow the Umno convention, its the deputy who would be a successor, said Mahathir during a forum recently. And before that Tun Mahathir had already mentioned Muhyiddin's name as a candidate to replace Najib.
Tun Mahathir also expressed confidence Muhyiddin would not repeat all the mistakes made by Najib.
While various levels within Umno seemed to accept Mahathir's proposal well, the same could not be said about those in the Opposition.
Despite agreeing and accepting the fact that Najib must be replaced immediately in order to save the future of the country, some of the Opposition leaders preferred Tengku Razaleigh instead of Muhyiddin as the next PM.
Those who were pro-Ku Li included former Minister in the Prime Minister, Zaid Ibrahim and Member of Parliament for Raub of DAP, Arif Sabri Abdul Aziz. They said Ku Li was more qualified to resolve the various problems in the country compared to Muhyiddin. The latest to join the fray are Rafizi Ramli and Lim Kit Siang, both of whom also backed Ku Li, who is the Gua Musang MP.
Consensus is clear - Najib must go: Based on Umno hierarchy, successor is Muhyiddin
There now appears to be consensus that Najib must be replaced because the country is so badly managed and as such, his successor should be chosen from among the most competent and capable.
Yet with just these two names, there has already emerged much conflict, so it is not impossible for a full-fledged race to break out as to who can capture the PM's seat first.
Based on the movement initiated by Tun Mahathir, Najib will be pressured or forced to step down on concerns that if he stays, UMNO and BN will lose the next election. Najib's successor will certainly be chosen according to 'hierarchy' as in the case when Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdullah resigned.
There is now no doubt that Muhyiddin is the anointed successor. How long Najib can stave off the challenge to his post will depend on how long Najib is prepared to hold out.
Even though the Umno grassroots support Tun Mahathir, Najib still controls the higher levels, especially the Heads of Divisions. But with Tun Mahathir increasingly aggressive, Najib's support can collapse any time if Muhyiddin and other UMNO leaders commit to support Mahathir.
If this happens, then not only will Muhyiddin be the choice based on 'hierarchy' but he will also be the endorsed choice of Tun Mahathir.
Parliament the alternative route, Ku Li the clear choice
But if the steps taken by Tun Mahathir to dislodge Najib take too long to bear fruit or are unsuccessful, then the change in Prime Minister may have to be effected through a motion of no-confidence in Parliament.
If it has to go through Parliament, then Ku Li will have the edge because the no-confidence motion will have to be supported by the Opposition which has 88 Members of Parliament.
With the participation of a section of Umno Members of Parliament, representatives from Sabah and Sarawak, and Pakatan Rakyat consisting of Pas, PKR and DAP, there would be no problems in replacing Najib if the candidate is Ku Li, who is perceived as being able to show better leadership for the country.
This will eventually lead to a coalition government being formed that cuts across racial and political ideology by placing the interests of the country as the top priority.
Either through Tun Mahathir's 'Resign Najib' movement, or through Parliament, the chance for Malaysians to get a new Prime Minister is now open. At the same time, it will become increasingly difficult for Najib to stay as PM, unless he is to see Umno-BN lose power under his leadership. - http://shahbudindotcom.blogspot.com/
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