Najib and Dr M in battle to control Umno?

Whoever wins in the party polls at all levels of the hierarchy makes little difference because these made-by-Umno 'products' are rotten inside out.

COMMENT

For political parties that practice democratic principles and good leadership traits, it takes both the leaders and the grassroots members to ensure it can continue its’ noble struggle for the party and country.

Such a system would provide the ordinary members who form the majority the right to apply an internal check and balance mechanism to ensure those elected to their respective posts would honour the mandate of the members/delegates to serve the party interests and country.

Differences of opinions, approaches or even policies among leaders are within the ambit of democracy.

Deviations from the original party objectives and the rule of law are the common causes of instability within a party.

When a party leader starts to deviate from the party struggle and replaces it with a personal agenda, it then directly cause instability from within in the long term.

He would strengthen his own position by building his own team that consists of his right-hand men at the top levels of the party hierarchy.

Under such prolonged power abuses it would likely lead to conflict among members and a power struggle for top positions may erupt and loyalists may turn foes and vice-verse.

Consequently factions emerge and in some cases, the internal power grab may lead to the break-up of the entity and splinter groups would establish their own parties.

Umno’s history has been tainted with such undemocratic and unlawful practices during the tenure of Dr Mahathir Mohamad from 1981 to 2003 and until today.

The power abuse, corruption and racism have blended well to form the culture and lifeblood of the party.

Therefore whoever wins in the party polls at all levels of the hierarchy makes little difference. These made-by-Umno ‘products’ are rotten inside out.

Najib’s strategy: More clout for VPs

Many within and outside Umno were expecting a showdown between the incumbent president and his deputy in the Umno election.

But Najib Tun Razak’s challenger apparently is not ready and hence that possible challenge fizzled out.

Najib had already encircled himself with a strong team to protect his position in the party.

He has given his three incumbent vice-presidents more clout thereby ensuring that any attempt to challenge him would prove to be futile.

Lets look at each of the three incumbents.

Hishammuddin Hussein – Holds the post of Defence Minister. He is also assigned to head the transport portfolio which has been left vacant because of MCA’s decision to shun all cabinets posts. Holding these two important ministries will definitely bolster his position in the party. Being a cousin to Najib and the son of late prime minister Tun Hussein Onn further add to his chances of not only retaining the VP post but being Najib’s first choice as the future deputy president of Umno and Deputy PM post GE14.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi - He is Najib’s trusted loyalist. He’s been given the special tasks to save Umno before and after the 13th general election. Since April 10, 2009, he was given the important post of Defence Minister, a post formerly held by Najib himself for reasons best known to the latter. But Zahid played his role effectively. He allegedly hatched “an external national threat” to ensure the people fell behind the Umno-led government to protect the country from the perceived foreign invasion. Pleased with Zahid’s performance, Najib rewarded him with the more powerful Home Minister appointment. The GE13 results made Umno and Najib’s positions shaky and thereby vulnerable. This time Zahid’s task was to ward off the snowballing of several perceived national threats from within the country, which were:

1. threat of people’s power to install Pakatan Rakyat as the legitimate government,
2. the exposure of the massive electoral fraud engineered by the Election Commission,
3. growing national debt and depleting revenue,
4. corruption and other hot issues.

Zahid was tasked with rescuing the Umno-led government by creating a political diversion. Someone purposely activated the rise in crime activities and acts of gangsterism to the point they would pose threats to national security.

It diverted the people’s focus away from the hot current issues. Zahid is expecting to remain a vice-president for as long as it takes to ward off attempts to destabilise the Umno-led government.

In a nutshell Zahid is just a pawn in Najib’s power game.

Shafie Apdal – His ascend to the post of vice-president is actually a move by the top hierarchy to appease Sabah Umno, nothing more. He will hold the post as long as it takes to retain the Sabah Umno loyalty.

Semenanjung Umno will not allow a Sabahan to reach beyond that level as this will create new problems later. One may equate him to Alfred Jabu anak Numpang of PBB who holds the deputy president 1 of PBB and deputy CM for life so to speak.

The posts are reserved for the leader of Pesaka wing of PBB, to appease the Dayak community .

Mahathir’s personal agenda

We may conclude then that the incumbent three VPs are in the safe zone. If the results of Wanita Umno and Youth wings are an indication then the delegates will retain the incumbents.

Meanwhile Umno veterans Mohd Ali Rustam and Isa Samad’s ‘return’ is seen as a trial by Najib to test their popularity in preparation for the next party polls in three years’ time.

Both incidentally are Najib’s right-hand men.

The more popular of the two will contest in the next party election to fill the one empty VP slot vacated by Hishammuddin once he moves up to lock horns with the incumbent deputy president.

Ali Rustam was recently appointed as a senator which would boost his chance to get the fourth highest votes behind the three incumbent VPs.

Mukriz Mahathir, the other VP challenger is contesting because of his father.

Going into the Oct 19 party polls, Mahathir does not have a party or national agenda but a personal one.

He wants to ensure his son Mukhriz wins a VP post. If Mukriz wins then he will team up with Muhyiddin Yassin to challenge Najib in the next party polls.

This is Mahathir’s plan to get his son to eventually become president, thereby protecting him from the long arm of the law.

Incumbent deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin, under the present circumstances does not have a strong team to challenge the president in this Oct 19 polls hence he is not making his move.

But Najib will ensure that Mahathir’s plan falters at the vice-president level.

Najib’s three incumbent VPs are in a strong position, it would be a difficult task for Mahathir to execute his agenda.

Although the current circumstances favour Najib, anything can happen between now and the next party polls in three years’ time.

Awang Abdillah is a political analyst, writer and FMT columnist.