Shahbudin: Umno must settle Mahathir factor

If Umno can appreciate Mahathir and invite him for its Annual General Assembly, the question that arises is why people associated with him have been sacked from the party.

KUALA LUMPUR: A political analyst has taken to his blog, in the wake of Umno Secretary-General Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor confirming that former Prime Minister and party President Mahathir Mohamad will attend the Umno Annual General Assembly, with searching questions.

He pointed out that it was Mahathir who was responsible for people being sacked by Umno.

By inviting Mahathir to the general assembly, the question that arises is who should be sacked by Umno after this. “Again, if Umno can continue to appreciate Mahathir and continue to invite him, another question that arises is why former Wanita Umno Gopeng head and former Perak Exco Hamidah Osman, who arranged a programme in Ipoh on May 16 for the former Prime Minister to attend, was sacked from the party on November 24.

There’s something strange going on, said Shahbudin Husin the analyst, if Hamidah could be sacked by the party over the programme in Ipoh but not Mahathir who turned up there, and will be turning up again at the Umno Annual General Assembly. “Both Ipoh and the Umno General Assembly are programmes which have something in common: the Mahathir factor.”

The analyst delves into the letter that Adnan sent Hamidah on her sacking. The letter, he said, clearly pointed out that she was being sacked for arranging the May 16 Programme, Bicara Negarawan (A Statesman Speaks) for Mahathir in Ipoh.

The bottomline, said Shahbudin, is that it appears that it’s difficult to separate Umno and Mahathir. “This can be attributed to the fact that he was not only in power for a very long time but has contributed in a very big way to the country and has even been credited for amazing success on many fronts.”

Shahbudin was commenting on the fact that whether Mahathir will be at the Umno General Assembly, or otherwise, no longer arises. “The fact is that Adnan himself has confirmed that Mahathir has confirmed his attendance.”

“That could only mean that Umno must have invited Mahathir officially. Otherwise, why would Mahathir confirm that he will be attending the Umno meet as invited along with his wife, Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali?”

Before Adnan came into the picture on the issue, recalled Shahbudin, it was Umno Vice-President and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who had spoken about it when he said that Mahathir was invited to attend and would be welcome. “Zahid’s statement followed Adnan’s statement that Umno was considering whether to invite Mahathir to the meet.”

“Adnan even raised the possibility that Mahathir may choose, on his own accord, not to attend the Umno meet given his stand on party President and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.”

Mahathir, in an immediate reaction, said that it doesn’t matter whether he was invited or otherwise by Umno as Zahid had already invited him openly and that would suffice. He indicated that he would be turning up at the Umno meet. Even before this, pointed out Shahbudin, Mahathir had already said that he would be attending the Umno meet invited or uninvited – in shades of the Nothing2Hide Forum on June 5 at the PWTC in Kuala Lumpur.