When Deputy Prime Minister and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi proposed a “grand collaboration” to unite Malay/Muslim parties, it was not something new but nevertheless unusual under the circumstances where the main parties are too divided.
What prompted him to say that? Does it mean Umno has abandoned its role of being the Malay party of choice? Does it think its chances at the polls are better served if seats could be divided up among the main Malay/Muslim parties? Or is he genuinely upset over Malay unity?
As DPM and a significant leader, should he not be concerned with Malaysian unity, uniting all communities under a single banner to move forward on several agendas on which all can agree?
And how does Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim figure in all this? Despite Zahid’s assurance that this grand collaboration will work only if the Madani government remains and Anwar is its leader, how will that pan out when Anwar heads both a multiracial party and coalition?
Or will Anwar be dumped by the roadside, the former Umno number two, who was ousted from Umno and went multiracial to gain power, in favour of Malay/Muslim hegemony and control over others in Malaysia?
‘No backstabbing’
Zahid pointedly said that he would not stab anyone in the back over this, a clear reference to betraying Anwar, whom he is very close to. But much stranger things have happened in politics.
Let’s try to answer some of the questions raised about Zahid’s grand collaboration. Clearly, Umno is fighting for its survival. The number of its MPs plummeted from 109 in 2004 to 54 after the disastrous 2018 14th general election, a drop by half.
And alarmingly, it dropped again by half between 2018 and the November 2022 election, GE15, to just 26, reducing it to a minor party with PAS having 43 seats now. Bersatu’s original 29 dwindled to 23 after six effectively defected to support the Madani government.
Undeniably, PAS is the kingpin now, with most observers agreeing that Bersatu will be nowhere without the alliance with PAS. The only hope for Umno is to either displace Bersatu as PAS’ main ally or work with them both.
The latter is less attractive as it has to share more seats in an alliance, thereby reducing the number of seats that it has to contest. But if push comes to shove, it may have to settle for this disadvantageous position.
Puzzling support for Najib
One thing complicates things for Umno - its inexplicable, unrestrained support for jailed former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, the person most responsible for the losses of RM42 billion to RM100 billion, depending on how you calculate it, at 1MDB.
The recent general assembly was unanimous in its call for a pardon for Najib, although he was singularly responsible for much of the fall in Umno’s pull of the Malay vote because of public awareness of 1MDB. That will contribute to the continued rejection of Umno by the electorate.
The only explanation for this is if, by some miracle, Najib is pardoned, he may be a source of useful funds for Umno. Part of the RM1.1 billion in cash and valuables seized from him and his wife in June 2018 was returned to him. Umno still believes cash is king, apparently.
Bersatu leader Muhyiddin Yassin’s assertion that he is not aware of Bersatu leaders engaged in discussions with Zahid threw tepid water over Zahid’s proposal, even as he said he was open to discussions. Who isn’t?
Reconciliation sore spot
Muhyiddin has in the past been very vocal against Najib and was expelled by Najib from Umno in June 2016 when he was deputy president over differences involving 1MDB and news reports suggesting massive embezzlement of funds. That will be a sore spot in any reconciliation.
PAS is in a pretty strong position, and its grassroots organisation and strength have long since surpassed Umno’s. It now stands as the undisputed champion of Malay/Muslim rights after decades of persistent work in the wilderness to arrive at its preeminence.
It’s now, in all probability, seriously considering breaking its bonds with Bersatu to muscle into the mainstream. Why should it even consider an alliance with Umno - it does not need a thorn in its side.
The Anwar fallback
If all else fails, Zahid has a fallback - his long-time buddy, good old Anwar, who, as Zahid himself told the Umno general assembly, loves and trusts Umno. That surely cannot make his non-Malay/Muslim allies, especially DAP, who Anwar depends on, very happy.
As Zahid himself pointed out, Umno’s 26 MPs garnered eight cabinet positions, only one short of PKR’s nine. PKR has 31 MPs. DAP has only five cabinet positions despite having 40 MPs, the second largest of any party after PAS. It’s clear as day, Anwar favours Umno.
Zahid’s proposal for a grand collaboration is nothing more than a feeble attempt at making Umno relevant, as it is becoming increasingly sidelined. The only way that Umno knows how to do that is to make non-Malays/Muslims the enemy - who else are the Malays called to unite for if it is not the non-Malays/Muslims?
As PAS redirects its pitch to include non-Malays/Muslims, Umno is doing the opposite - sheer folly. Statistics Department figures put the percentage of Malays, who are by definition also Muslims, at 58.2 percent of the population as at the third quarter of last year. Including other Muslims, the figure rises to 63.5-64 percent.
Surely no party in Malaysia can ignore, isolate and insult some four tenths of the population and expect to do well at the polls. Why doesn’t Umno realise that? And why doesn’t Anwar? Do something - anything - that appeals to all, and see the difference.
It happened in 2018, but someone who was trusted again despite everything that showed he could not, destroyed that beginning. Now, a person is in power who promised to change things and get the country working as one. But he does not.
Why? Perhaps Zahid hit the nail on the head. Speaking at the Umno general assembly, the deputy prime minister said Anwar truly understands the party's (Umno’s) history and its importance in Malaysia's political landscape as he has “Umno DNA”. - Mkini
P GUNASEGARAM will not mourn the demise of Umno Baru.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.