MAHATHIR’S ‘PARTI KETEGAO NAK MAMPOS’

The Third Force

A man with a thousand shades of grey on his head is what they’re calling Tun Dr. Mahathir these days. Colour those shades orange, and call him Donald Trump – the same arrogance, the same stubbornness, the same ol’ lousy rhetoric – if it were America, they’d be calling UMNO Republican and Mahathir’s residence, the Trump Tower.

Just some hours ago, the former premier waged an uncanny war against Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s guile without anybody knowing he did. The two are now locked in a tussle for the spotlight, with the latter banking on the idea that the element of surprise would stretch the competition off-base, long enough for him to plan his next move.

Seeing that the former premier had quit UMNO, Muhyiddin decided to outsize the importance of that decision by doing the exact opposite of what conspiracy theorists had predicted him to do – resign from UMNO.

His move has since plunged the opposition field into a limbo – ever since Mahathir sat with his accomplices late last year to resurrect plans for a new party, he has chalked up some RM 3 billion in pledges from his cronies for its establishment.

Oppositionists, eager to hitch a ride on the cash-wagon, were caught with their feet in their mouths today the minute Muhyiddin declared his undivided loyalty for UMNO. Those in the know believe that Muhyiddin had been cautioned by Mahathir some days earlier to “resign or be damned,” and that didn’t go quite well with him.

As a result, the former UMNO Deputy President resolved to steal Mahathir’s thunder with a press conference that was attended by Dato’ Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, the latter’s son. Seeing no future for himself in the new party, Muhyiddin decided it best to snap the strings that kept him hanging under the former premier’s ego.

Oppositionists are now busy deliberating on the better of the two – one an UMNO member, and the other, a former UMNO member.

According to a well-placed source, Muhyiddin is without a doubt seeking disciplinary action by the party, but not anytime before the month of September. And that’s because the month of September has been slated as the month Mahathir would launch his new party – Parti Ketegaq Nak Mampos, or PKNM.

As Muhyiddin sees it, getting sacked right about then would help him steal the spotlight from Mahathir once again – and gloriously at that. As we speak, several go-betweens are trying to figure out how best to mend ties between the two disgraced politicians.

Mahathir’s departure from UMNO, his second since the party was registered in 1988 as UMNO Baru, hardly came as a surprise to battle scarred politicians and the callow novices. Analysts well acquainted with the dynamics of the day downplayed Mahathir’s resignation, calling it “a devalued currency” that served as down-payment for a stronger UMNO under the leadership of Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak.