Analysts foresee more heat in Umno with polls delayed

 

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is not seen as a potential prime ministerial candidate due to the court cases he is facing, says an analyst. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Analysts expect the internal turmoil over Umno’s leadership to get worse with the postponement of party elections for up to 18 months.

Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said this was because “a lot of people” in the party believed they were more capable of leading the party than current president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“Hishammuddin and many others, including Khairy, might make a move,” he said, referring to Hishammuddin Hussein and Khairy Jamaluddin.

“It’s a free-for-all to try to manoeuvre themselves into a position.

“Ideally, you would like to have somebody who is a potential prime minister candidate leading the party. Because of his court cases, Zahid is not such a candidate. Therefore, a lot of people are very eager to replace him.”

Oh said some in Umno might consider the 18-month window too wide, allowing Zahid to make moves to consolidate his power.

He told FMT he saw Zahid continuing to helm the party until the polls are held unless he is convicted in court.

Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said some of the contenders were looking beyond the party presidency, expecting Umno to be victorious in the next general election and thereby assuring them of the prime minister’s seat.

However, he told FMT the sentiments against Zahid among some leaders might not be reflected at the party’s grassroots level or among division leaders.

“Generally, the ones trying to belittle Zahid are certain leaders who lost in the last party polls,” he said. “This is not happening at the grassroots and it’s not causing an exodus of members or a closure of divisions.

“These are just political games and tussling because whoever controls Umno is expected to control the government after the next general election.”

Both analysts said postponing the party polls was the right move in view of Covid-19, especially considering Umno’s large membership.

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan told FMT the party would postpone the elections for up to 18 months as allowed under the party’s constitution due to the current Covid-19 situation. The polls can be held earlier if conditions are suitable.

This was agreed to by most of the supreme council members, with only two rejecting the postponement, according to Umno election director Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.

There have been calls for Umno to hold party elections sooner. One of these calls came from Khairy, who said the polls need to be expedited to resolve Umno’s internal problems before GE15.

In April, just as he was relieved of his duties as Perlis Umno chief, Shahidan Kassim also called for party elections to be expedited to prevent a leadership crisis.

There have also been calls for Zahid to resign as Umno president, with one consistent voice being that of Padang Rengas MP Nazri Aziz, who said he was making Umno look weak. Nazri also admitted to being the “mastermind” behind the move to collect statutory declarations (SDs) by Barisan Nasional MPs to show that they are not with Zahid.

Zahid, the former deputy prime minister, is facing 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering involving funds belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi. - FMT