MAHATHIR’S BURNING OF THE REICHSTAG

Raggie Jessy

Before we proceed with this article, let me bring several matters to your attention and into proper perspective:

1. Dato’ Seri Najib Razak isn’t about to replace Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Deputy Prime Minister. Najib isn’t quite the idiot some have made him out to be.

2. Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Hussein isn’t in the running for the post of Finance Minister. The only person who seems to think so at the moment is UMNO blogger Shahbudin Husin.

3. A Cabinet reshuffle is inevitable and due anytime within the next two and a half weeks.

4. It is reasonable to assume that the 14th General Elections will be called for by the end of the year or some time early next year. However, in the unlikely event that a vote of no confidence is successfully tabled against Najib, he would immediately seek for the dissolution of Parliament, in which case the General Elections would be held much sooner.

5. Dato’ Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal may be dropped from Najib’s preferred line-up of Ministers and Deputy Ministers. It is entirely possible that Shafie will be offered a Ministerial portfolio far less significant than the one he holds now. Either way, Shafie is certain to bear the brunt for publicly crossing swords with Najib.

6. Sources close to me revealed on condition of anonymity that Hisham will face a demotion. However, it is uncertain if both Najib and Hisham have reconciled in recent days, or if the Najib-Hisham fallout was nothing more than a ruse meant to befuddle Mahathirists.

7. The same sources also revealed that Dato’ Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek is likely to be awarded an important Ministerial portfolio, the nature of which is yet to be ascertained.

8. Dato’ Seri Hamzah Zainuddin may well be the person to head the Finance Ministry.

9. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is the Prime Minister in waiting insofar as the line of succession goes within Najib’s inner circle.

10. There are those who seem to think that Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed had undertaken in a verbal covenant to deliver the premiership to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah by a vote of confidence in Parliament. I was told that Muhyiddin was not made aware of the arrangement.

11. It seems that Mahathir was optimistic of an outcome in favour of Razaleigh should a motion in support of the latter have been moved. Mahathir seemed to think that the better half of UMNO and PAS MP’s would have rallied behind Razaleigh under the circumstance, as would have MCA and MIC MP’s.

12. It is uncertain who Mahathir may have entered into agreement with over these matters, or if such a covenant was ever undertaken. What is certain, however, is that the issue of succession has been discussed by Mahathir and Razaleigh among themselves in the past on more than one occasion.

13. It is rumoured that Muhyiddin was tasked with bringing a motion of no confidence against Najib in the August House. But as it seems, it is unlikely that such a motion will ever be moved by any member from UMNO.

Based on the above, it becomes apparent why Shahbudin Husin may either be severely misguided or is on a mission to estrange Najib’s band of loyalists from one another and from the Premier himself. A staunch Mahathirist, the UMNO blogger had just yesterday foretold of a Cabinet reshuffle in which Muhyiddin would be given his marching orders.

An article that surfaced yesterday quoted Shahbudin as saying that Najib had grown impatient with Muhyiddin and that the latter would be given the push.

“Najib is said to have lost his patience with Muhyiddin and is eager to show that he is indeed a Bugis warrior who will fight to the end,” said the blogger.

In a recent article, I articulated how Mahathir had precipitated a culture of factional politicking within UMNO back when he was Prime Minister. It was this culture that divided the party and averted the rise of cogent forces that may otherwise have usurped Mahathir’s standing within society. This allowed him to reign as an authoritative dictator and remain an incumbent for 22 years.

Following Mahathir’s retirement, many from within UMNO were of the opinion that his successor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, didn’t have what it takes to lead the party and the nation. As a matter of fact, Ministers and Deputy Ministers feared Khairy Jamaluddin and ‘the fourth floor boys’ more than they did Abdullah.

Today, Mahathir is talking about a party in shambles and how Najib would lead Barisan Nasional to a debacle come the next General Elections. But it was Mahathir who infused the party with capitalistic attitudes and corporate elitism, giving rise to cabals of ‘ultras’ that got greedy and strived in contention against one another. Each cabal had its own think insofar as the leadership was concerned, but none was so brave as to fly into the teeth of the Prime Minister.

As a result, UMNO is so badly split that its members are as yet roving in pursuit of a leader who they feel would reinstate the party to its former glory. But from afar, Mahathir is telling members that such a leader does not exist. And yet, he has stealthily been grooming Muhyiddin for the task of warming the Prime Minister’s seat until such a day that Dato’ Seri Mukhriz Mahathir takes over the reins of government.

You see, Mahathir has been throwing his weight behind Muhyiddin since 2009. Back then, there appeared to be a plot to disqualify Dato’ Seri Mohd Ali Rustam from contesting UMNO’s Deputy Presidency. Rustam was eventually delivered a red card by the disciplinary board and booted out from the contest on charges of corruption. It was the UMNO elections, and whispers from the Corridors of Power were of a contrivance by Muhyiddin to put a spoke in Rustam’s wheel.

Meanwhile, Mahathir rewarded Muhyiddin for triggering Abdullah’s ouster by ridiculing the remaining contender, Tan Sri Muhammad Mohd Taib. His criticism was enough to turn tides in Muhyiddin’s favour, as party members felt capacitated to speak their oracle once it became apparent who Mahathir backed for the post.

And today, Mahathir appears to be throwing his weight behind Muhyiddin once again. As a matter of fact, Muhyiddin appears far more antagonistic than he was with his former boss, who relinquished his position as a result of the pressure exerted on his leadership. Looking at Muhyiddin, one would get the impression that the Deputy Premier is probably the most powerful man in UMNO today.

And that’s precisely the perception Mahathir hoped to drive home among party members. Since the day he left office, Mahathir vested his energy to personify an enigma, one seen to be more potent than his successors. The cabals I spoke of earlier found it easy to relate with a leader who was as much an authoritarian as Mahathir was. With that, it becomes apparent why Muhyiddin enjoys a cult following of his own within UMNO.

Like I said, Najib isn’t quite the idiot some have made him out to be. He was well aware of Mahathir’s grand plan, which is precisely why he chose to remain silent all this while. By keeping to himself, Najib got the better half of Mahathirists second guessing his plans and manoeuvres. However, their assessments are proving to be wrong, which is why Najib and his garrison seem to be holding out well against Mahathir. From the looks of it, Najib’s detractors are beginning to regret that they ever took Mahathir seriously this time around.

All this while, Najib learnt to keep his friends close and his enemies, closer. Like I said before, Najib kept his enemies so close, that they found themselves on the horns of a dilemma when Mahathir came knocking once again with the same bag of tricks he used against Abdullah.

So why on earth would Najib deprive Muhyiddin of a Ministerial post in the event of a Cabinet reshuffle? Wouldn’t that split UMNO to the core and convince Mahathirist’s that Najib has much to hide?

Likewise, Najib would never assign the Finance Ministry portfolio to his cousin. No Prime Minister in his right mind would ever contemplate such idiocy, particularly since Mahathirists are geniuses when it comes to the art of shrouding public perception with fables and fantasies.

I smell a rotten fish in all of this. And that fish is a certain UMNO blogger.