Fadillah trying to curry favour with Taib

Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Fadillah Yusof is a man in a quandary.

He had hoped that his recent brazen declaration that Parti Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Youth wing would send its own fact-finding team to Ulu Baram to look into the issue of rape victims in the Penan community would get the backing of his members and party leaders.

But the whispers filtering through the grapevines are saying otherwise.

One source said Fadillah in his rush to consolidate his position with Chief Minister Taib Mahmud had picked a wrong issue because the nonchalant attitudes of both state leaders on the rape issue had already stoked temperature at Kuching.

Fadillah’s insensitive remarks had merely added to the embarrassment and compounded an already puss-infected wound.

“He made a stupid mistake and it will cost him. Politics in Sarawak is different. People here have long memory and they remember and judge you,” he said, adding that there is “a deep respect for women here”.

Often described as “thankless and unappreciative of past assistance”, Fadillah is desperately seeking Taib’s blessings in view of the coming state election.

He’s baffled as to how a partyless “young-gun like Pelagus assemblyman Larry Sng who is an assistant minister in the CM’s Department could ingratiate himself to Taib when he (Fadillah) with all his ministerial ‘clout’ has not been able to tear down the barriers”.

Internal strife

A recent blog posting in Serbanaku Sarawak, however, gave FMT some insight into the internal strife that could cost Fadillah his place in Sarawak politics and PBB a seat.

According to the posting Fadillah, who is PBB Youth chief, thought that he could impress Taib and his good and close friends in Umno with the Penan number.

“He wanted to prove to them his political skills in handling the opposition in Sarawak.

After all, Sarawak is his turf and he does have the upper hand in dealing with peninsular Umno leaders,” said the blog

Fadillah had reportedly missed the opportunity to show his loyalty to Taib when the latter was attacked over his amassed wealth in Canada.

In contrast, Sng had quietly “whispered into the ears of a senior minister” asking why the BN leaders were not coming to Taib’s defence.

“In a way, Sng was smarter than Fadillah because he didn’t have to shout through the media to show his ‘loyalty’ to the top leadership – he just “whispered” to the ears of a senior minister asking why the BN leaders, including Fadillah had failed to defend Taib.”

Not to be outdone by Sng, Fadillah promptly picked the most “trendy” issue now in Sarawak to boost his image.

Bad move

It was a miscalculated move on Fadillah's part. Most of the PBB Youth exco members have distanced themselves from him.

They don’t want to be Fadillah’s tool. Also, Fadillah, they said, is the type of leader who doesn’t appreciate any past assistance given to him.

Case in point was when Fadillah re-appointed Mohd Kamaluddin Mohd Effendi as the wing’s deputy secretary-general.

He also appointed his former media officer Sharein Maloh as the wing’s media secretary. This “unconstitutional” move has further convinced them that Fadillah has not changed one bit.

The blog noted that it was Kamaluddin who had “coaxed” assemblyman Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah to stick to the original plan to contest against Fadillah for the Youth chief post in the party convention early this year.

Fadillah also knew that on the night before the election day, Kamaluddin and Karim had teamed up with the wing’s secretary-general Gerald Rentap Jabu and the PBB deputy president Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg’s most trusted man Ibrahim Baki to coax the party Youth members to vote for those who were in their list.

Fadillah was fortunate that Abang Johari, Kamaluddin, Karim, Jabu and Ibrahim didn’t get their way in getting all their men into the exco under the Bumiputera quota.

If this had happened, Fadillah would be a lame duck Youth chief because both the Pesaka and Bumiputera wings were under the controlled of the Group of Five – Abang Johari, Kamaluddin, Karim, Jabu and Ibrahim.

Also, Fadhillah’s move to re-appoint Kamaluddin was considered an insult to the Bumiputera wing, because Kamaluddin was a Malay and the seat was for Bumiputeras (local native communities). Fadillah had also not consulted the elected excos on his appointment.

Sharein’s appointment also did not go down well with the wing’s excos.

At a press conference, Fadhillah dismissed speculation’s that Sharein’s appointment diluted the authority of Youth information chief Abdul Aziz Adenan.

But rumours persist that Abdul Aziz’s scope of work has been limited to handling party members, while Sharein has been tasked with handling all matters related to the media and public.

It is common knowledge that Abdul Aziz gave Fadillah the lifeline to continue as Youth chief.

But Fadillah is now seen as being obsessed with his own image as a charismatic leader and has decided to push Abdul Aziz out from the limelight so that he alone can bask in it.

Who will Fadillah next lynch to prop up his political career?

courtesy of FMT