“Umno will reject any offer to cooperate with Anwar as long as he is in cahoots with DAP, full stop. I have to say this repeatedly because people just don’t get it.”
- Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, circa 2019
I keep reading all these commentaries that if Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim carried out the structural reforms he promised, Harapan would not be getting the thrashing it is getting now.
This may sound comforting, but the reality is that this is about power and the perception of power, and Anwar gave his away to Umno.
The only reason that Umno/BN is in ascendancy is that Anwar enabled it.
An intelligent politician faced with the option (for whatever reasons) of allowing the enemy into the camp would have restricted the movements of the enemy, limited the enemy’s capability to gather intelligence and influence, and hobbled the enemy’s capacity to nurture mutually beneficial relations within the encampment.
Keep in mind that when Umno was in jeopardy of being deregistered, it was Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail who saved Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s behind.
From reportage - “Earlier today, Saifuddin used his discretion as home minister to exempt Umno from having its registration revoked. He said his conclusion was made after examining the decision made during Umno’s general assembly on March 3, 2023.”
Zahid was right in 2019 when he said some folks don’t get it. DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke may have said that his party was willing to sacrifice anything for Anwar to be prime minister, but I am sure that he didn’t think this meant the latter throwing the DAP under the bus during Madani’s soon-to-be brief watch.
When the DAP was under attack by Umno, the prime minister remained silent.
Indeed, in many instances Anwar inflamed Umno’s narratives against the DAP by calling out Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, ignoring the provocations of Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh, and disregarding the DAP’s non-Malay base.
Reputation laundering
When ordinary voters are already ginned up on race and religion and see this, they do not see a strong prime minister, but they sure as hell see a strong Umno, which was supposed to be beaten down by the hand of the rakyat but was propped up by Anwar’s hand.
The prime minister did not just let Zahid, who was facing corruption charges, be his number two.
When the deputy prime minister got his discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA), Anwar had the gall to claim that those charges were faulty and part of a wider political persecution by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
And of course, laundering the reputation of a scandal-plagued politician like Zahid means that the same rule applies to the prime minister, as MIC helpfully pointed out in the prime minister’s KWAP row.
“At that time, Anwar relied on the same principle in making that appointment, namely that a person should not be punished before their guilt is proven in court.
“When Zahid was facing 47 charges in court, Anwar appointed him deputy prime minister. By the same principle, it is wrong for anyone to demand that he (Anwar) resign?” said MIC president SA Vigneswaran.
Umno rebuilds to Harapan’s cost
And what did Zahid do with his ministerial portfolio and as the second-most powerful man in the country?
Well, he rebuilt alliances within the civil services, engineered sub rosa alliances between Umno and various PAS emissaries at the state level, all the while making Madani look like a sham (which it was) but, more importantly, destroying the credibility of the prime minister and, of course, the DAP.
All those appointments Zahid made to strategic posts within and outside the government, all those moves sanctioned by Pakatan Harapan may seem like a fait accompli.
But look closer - all these positions are in some way connected not only to the mid-level echelons of the bureaucracy (which have vast influence) but also to service grassroots-level proxies in various states.
Folks go on about political appointments, but here is the thing: this was done not for the benefit of party stalwarts but mostly for Umno. And Umno, of course, smugly noticed.
Akmal claimed that Anwar understood the BN way of doing things when the prime minister said: “We must offer positions to qualified individuals as a gesture of appreciation for their decades of commitment and sacrifice.”
And what do you think all these Umno people did? Do you think they were working for the betterment of Madani? Do you think they wanted to see this unity government succeed?
When Madani was busy cracking down on progressive voices in the majority community, who do you think benefited? When the prime minister was busy burnishing his racial and Islamic credentials, who do you think this benefited?
Keep in mind that the prime minister had even extended an invitation for PAS to join Madani.
What does it say about the Madani government if PAS, which routinely demonises non-Malays, goes against the wishes of the royal institutions, and has proclaimed itself as the gatekeeper of Islam, joined this unity government?
Anwar’s coddling of the civil service - even apologising to them at one point, strengthening the religious bureaucracy, and cracking down on free speech benefits only Umno and whoever is hitching a ride on their coattails.
Lesser of two evils? Not anymore
These days, Harapan cannot even claim to be the lesser of two evils when it comes to corruption due to Madani’s perceived selective prosecution of certain individuals while protecting others.
This is what the Tabung Haji scandal clearly demonstrates. When former economy minister Rafizi Ramli said: “At that time, Anwar was very careful to protect Umno’s feelings, so the decision was made to bury the report,” you have to wonder what other corruption cases were covered up solely to protect Umno?
The fact that a jaded rakyat is resigning itself to BN again is perhaps Harapan’s greatest failing.
Now, Zahid wants Umno to go at it alone in the upcoming Malacca election, saying the party will only cooperate with others who come in good faith. This translates to any party that bends the knee to Umno.
This is how power is used, and it was given to Umno freely by Anwar and Madani. - Mkini
S THAYAPARAN is commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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