Civil war may cost Umno its hold on Putrajaya

 

From Ibrahim M Ahmad

The resignation of Boris Johnson as head of Britain’s Conservative Party this week was a timely reminder to Malaysians of an important principle that many in Umno have taken for granted.

When the Conservative party base of his three-year-old administration imploded, Johnson resigned, not as prime minister but as leader of his party. He then announced that he will step down as prime minister when the party appoints his successor who will then assume the highest ministerial office.

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In Westminster-styled democracies, the leader of the dominant party is usually their prime minister. Until recently, Malaysia could count itself among them, but not any more.

Faced with multiple corruption charges, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has refused to stand aside as Umno president, but was unable to step in as prime minister when the preceding administration fell in August last year. He instead allowed the party to nominate Ismail Sabri Yaakob to the post.

Outward appearances of unity between the two have been short-lived. Civil war broke out in the open last month after Zahid removed Ismail’s ally and ambassador-designate to Indonesia, Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, from the party’s supreme council.

Tensions have since escalated, with camps loyal to Zahid and Ismail each provoking the other.

Immediately after his sacking, Tajuddin told a press conference that Zahid does not command the support of the majority of Umno division chiefs, who apparently already wanted the party president to step down two years ago.

Ismail is also said to have angered Zahid by appointing Annuar Musa to lead a “jihad” task force set up to wage war on inflation. Annuar is an outspoken critic of Zahid and openly voiced his opposition to the party president’s plan to call an early general election.

Zahid loyalists have branded these moves attacks not only on the party president, but also on Umno and Barisan Nasional, a party source claims.

Not to be out-manoeuvred, Ismail has been doing the very same thing.

Speaking at a dinner in Sabah last week, Ismail told BN supreme council members present, Zahid included, that as prime minister, any attack on him would also be an attack on Umno and BN.

That claim came amid rumours circulating that Ismail would be barred from addressing a state BN convention the following day.

Ismail has a point. Already declared as Umno’s “poster boy” for GE15, any character assassination will not only damage his chances, but also those of the party and BN, at the polls.

Umno’s departure from the practice of party leader as PM was motivated by the party’s unbridled lust for power and the personal interests of its elite members.

It has created a split in the ranks, leaving the party president and prime minister, and their respective loyalists, at odds with each other. It is something that the party must settle immediately so that it can present a united front when the country next goes to the polls.

As it stands, Umno’s infighting can only work against it.

It is bound to alienate the party’s own base, while giving a hopelessly fractured opposition the fillip it needs to unite, even if only for the sole purpose of bringing the curtains down once and for all on Umno’s hold on power.

Umno does not need to look too far back. The consensus is that the party lost in 2018 simply because it failed to deal with the fallout from the 1MDB saga.

This time the fallout from the struggle between Zahid and Ismail may well seal the party’s fate once and for all - FMT

Ibrahim M Ahmad is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.