MAHATHIR'S CAMP SUDDENLY AT THREAT: Mukhriz has to 'save face' over Najib's snub

KUALA LUMPUR - For reasons best known to himself, Kedah chief minister Mukhriz Mahathir chose to put a good face on Prime Minister Najib Razak's decision not to appoint him to the Umno supreme council, which is the ruling party's top decision-making body.

According to the 49-year-old Mukhriz, he is already in the supreme council by virtue of his position as Mentri Besar or chief minister. Nonetheless, he also admits that this only entitles him to a symbolic participation, whereby he is allowed to attend top-level meetings but has no right to vote.

"The party president explained last night that whoever is in the meeting have the right to speak up. There is no difference. However, those in the position have no right to vote," Malaysiakini reported Mukhriz as saying.

Even Kazim got in

Yet soon after Mukhriz lost his high-profile bid to be one of Umno's 3 elected vice presidents, he had publicly expressed the hope that he would be appointed to the supreme council as a full-fledged member with voting rights.

Whatever Najib's reasons for ignoring Mukriz's request, it is telling that he chose to appoint additional members to the supreme council this year, including non-Umno members such as controversial former PAS cleric Kazim Elias.

Umno grapevine has been buzzing overtime that it must have felt having salt rubbed over their wounds for Mukhriz and his father, former premier Mahathir Mohamad, especially after Kazim unceremoniously rejected Najib's offer.

"I think Mukhriz is trying to save face for himself and his father. They have no choice but to live to fight another day. But make no mistake, this is a very harsh blow especially to a man like Mahathir. He will do something," a veteran Umno watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.

Instead of Najib watching out, it is Mahathir who may have more to fear

Nonetheless, there are others who warn it may be the Mahathir clan who would have more to fear than Najib and his supporters.

They point out that Najib was now in power, having won his own mandate in the recent national general election, as well as having successfully trounced the Mahathir team during the Umno party election in October.

Furthermore, if Najib was no longer "scared" of Mahathir as he had been previously, it could be that he has calculated his odds carefully and is confident of winning. Mahathir, although a healthy 88, may not have sufficient stamina to pose a real threat by the time the next general election is called, the latest by which must be 2018.

"Mahathir is very rich but so is Najib. Both have money to buy support. But Najib has a secret weapon. I think you know it is Rosmah, right? Don't underestimate her, she is quite wily," another Umno insider told Malaysia Chronicle, referring to the PM's wife.

"What we have seen for example, like Mahathir giving up his Petronas adviser's post has been attributed by some of his supporters as a wish to show displeasure at Najib but the actual situation may have been, his contract was not renewed or he was told to let go gracefully. Najib can play double-faced games and pretend to be a hero. He can publicly tell Mahathir to stay but privately send someone to tell Mahathir he has been adviser for 10 years, it's time to give someone else a chance. That may have been exactly what happened."

From the frying pan into the fire

Many Malaysians would surely sigh in relief to see the back of Mahathir and his brand of corruption-tainted race-based politics. But sad to say, they may find themselves jumping from the frying pan to the fire.

Since ousting Abdullah Badawi in 2009 and taking over the PM's post, Najib has immersed himself in exactly the same sort of race-baiting politics favored by Mahathir.

Dubbed not too long ago by a Washington Post editorial as a "champion of double-speak", Najib has lived up to the tag.

In the runup to the ongoing Umno assembly, he and his colleagues such as Defense Minister Zahid Hamid had called for inclusive politics and for the Malay-based Umno to accept minority group rights.

However, upon the departure of international guests that included bigwigs from the Middle East and from Indonesia, Najib and team have reverted to the Malay supremacy clarion cry perfected by Mahathir when he was PM during the years 1981 to 2003.

This sort of conduct from the PM and his top team bodes ill for Malaysia, which is now facing another 5 years of flaccid and corrupt governance with only lip-service given to critically-needed reforms.

"Perhaps the PM should focus on realizing  meaningful economic programs instead of sprending citizens' money on consultants to produce more unproductive spin that belittles the intelligence of the people, especially Umno members," Opposition MP for Lembah Pantai Nurul Izzah had told Malaysia Chronicle.

Said another Opposition lawmaker, N Surendran, the MP for Padang Serai:

"The results of the last two general elections make it clear that Malaysians are against racial politics. Yet Umno continues to hold Malaysia in the grip of a medieval type of race based and discriminatory politics.

"How do we explain to the younger generation why only a certain race can join a certain political party? Surely this creates a grave and negative effect upon the minds of young Malaysians. At a young age they are taught to sieve and separate Malaysians by the colour of their skin. Is this healthy for our youth and future generations? Whither Malaysia?" - Malaysia Chronicle