Umno war cries put Bersatu in a fix

 

It has further shortened the lifespan of the Perikatan Nasional government which has been hanging by a thread since the Budget 2021 tabling in Parliament.

PARTI Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia leaders were expecting the worst when they held an emergency meeting at their party headquarters on Wednesday night.

They thought that Umno, which was having its supreme council meeting across town, would declare a “divorce” before the night was over.

Bersatu leaders wanted to be ready for any eventuality.

But shortly before the clock struck midnight, Umno announced that the big decision would be made at the party general assembly on Jan 31.

A crisis had been averted and many of the Bersatu leaders looked rather relieved as they emerged from the meeting.

Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin merely smiled behind his face mask and waved at reporters before boarding his car.

There has been an exchange of fire between Umno and Bersatu leaders, but Muhyiddin has not said a word about what has happened.

The Prime Minister is a man of few words, but it seems to have carried him through one crisis after another.

“That is his style. He does not get jittery or over-excited, he stays sober and rational. Of course, he can flare up in private, but he is always calm and steady in public, ” says Bersatu party election committee chief Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar.

The Umno war cries have put Bersatu in a tight spot and further shortened the lifespan of the Perikatan Nasional government which has been hanging by a thread since the Budget 2021 tabling in Parliament. The end is near.

Several Umno ministers have even announced that they are ready to resign from the Cabinet if the party says so.

The irony is that Umno is now the one calling the shots on how long this government can survive.

The Bersatu side has been extremely wary of Umno after the way its deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu was pushed out of the Mentri Besar’s office in Perak.

“Bersatu has no choice but to hang on to PAS for survival, ” says Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian.

PAS has officially joined Perikatan and its leaders are holding positions in the Perikatan supreme council.

PAS leaders have also been appointed as state chairmen of four states while Bersatu leaders are in charge of 10 states.

Moreover, PAS stood by Bersatu during the Perak mentri besar crisis.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan has grown so close to Bersatu that he has acquired a reputation as a mouthpiece of Bersatu.

Does all this mean that PAS has jilted Umno for Bersatu?

Well, not exactly.

On Thursday morning, leaders of PAS and Umno were at a Muafakat Nasional meeting at the Umno headquarters to work on their “roadmap for MN”.

That certainly did not sound like PAS has abandoned Umno for Bersatu.

“We are with Bersatu because it is part of the government.

“But Umno has been our friend and partner since 2018, ” said Selangor PAS election director Roslan Shahir who sits on the roadmap committee.

It is learnt that PAS was as alarmed as Bersatu when Umno divisions began beating their war drums last weekend.

Although PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang has grown close to Muhyiddin, the more objective side of Hadi knows that PAS has more to gain in the general election if it strikes an electoral partnership with Umno.

PAS leaders know that Bersatu which has no grassroots or machinery on the ground will be riding on PAS.

Umno, on the other hand, has a solid party machinery which can help carry PAS in west coast states.

For instance, they could see how Umno has swung into action to assist those affected by the floods in Pahang and Johor.

They have also seen how their combined might delivered one big win after another in the string of by-elections last year.

A recent survey by PAS in Terengganu showed that Umno could win six of the eight parliamentary seats in the state if PAS chose to go with Bersatu in the general election.

“Hadi genuinely wants to keep us together. He wants to see straight fights with Pakatan Harapan, ” said Roslan.

It is understood that Hadi personally met with Umno leaders prior to Wednesday night’s supreme council meeting to urge them not to shut the door on Bersatu just yet.

He persuaded the Umno leaders to keep the door ajar for a while more.

Syed Hamid said Muhyiddin is not afraid of calling for a general election.

“The original plan was to hold elections in March, but that is no longer possible because of the Covid-19 pandemic, ” said Syed Hamid.

The hostility of the Umno grassroots towards Bersatu is all too real. They have long accused Bersatu of grabbing posts and stealing their wakil rakyat and members.

But it is no secret that the “kluster mahkamah” – those in Umno facing graft charges – are driving the agenda in the party.

It is in the group’s interest to force Muhyiddin’s hand in calling for an early election so that those who have yet to be convicted can still contest.

Muhyiddin has refused to meddle in the court cases despite numerous attempts to petition him for help. He is adamant about not interfering with the legal process.

It is learnt that Muhyiddin finally had a four-eyed meeting with one of the Umno figures who was fighting to stay out of jail, but the meeting went nowhere.

Muhyiddin’s body language was said to be so cold and he did not even touch the refreshments on the table.

The ruling coalition, said Syed Hamid, is no longer sustainable and it is only a matter of time before Umno cuts off ties.

“There is too much mistrust. Bersatu may have to go back to the drawing board and find a new formula in order to hold on, ” said Syed Hamid.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.(JOCELINE TAN). - Star