Zam: Najib may risk all to save himself

The Umno President and Prime Minister may be gambling with the future of Umno and the nation for the sake of his own political survival.

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin reckons that a wave has emerged in Umno that can no longer be held back. If Muhyiddin Yassin’s voice as a Deputy President is stilled this Friday at an expected Umno Supreme Council meeting, he wonders whether the voices of the Council itself, the Umno divisional chiefs, the party membership and the people at large can be stilled as well.

He was recalling his earlier prediction that Prime Minister and Umno President Najib Abdul Razak may have already resolved and could be on the verge of taking the highest risks possible that would involve the future of Umno and the nation for the sake of his own political survival.

Still, Zainuddin was expressing disbelief that Muhyiddin will be removed at any time as Deputy President, as widely circulated by many online portals, in the wake of his sacking on Tuesday as Deputy Prime Minister. “The portals say that Muhyiddin will be removed as Deputy President on the grounds of party discipline,” noted Zainuddin. “It seems that such a move will have the full support of the Umno Supreme Council.”

“If so, the question was whether Muhyiddin will attend the meeting to defend himself, as done by Anwar Ibrahim when he was facing the sack too as Deputy President after being sacked as Deputy Prime Minister. Anwar’s removal as Deputy President nearly caused a big upheaval at the Putra World Trade Centre.”

He conceded that Muhyiddin has already received dire warnings from Umno blogs and also Sabah Speaker Salleh Said Keruak and an NGO which belittled him as being responsible for many failures as Education Minister. “His loyalty to Prime Minister and Umno President Najib Abdul Razak was also questioned.”

“Salleh, who was appointed a Federal Minister on Tuesday, would not be so brave as to humiliate and challenge Muhyiddin if he did not receive appropriate signals.”

Zainuddin, resuming his misgivings, said that Umno Cheras has become the very shores where the signals from Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir turned into a wave when Muhyiddin took a stand in the face of brave voices from Reezal Merican and Mukhriz himself. “The voices of dissent from the north to the south are in tempo with the unease and anger felt by the people at the grassroots.”

Umno Johor, where the party was born, made its stand when Muhyiddin was blacked out by Utusan Malaysia which before this had been the brave voice of the Malays and the people at large, he added. “Again, if Muhyiddin’s voice too in Umno was stilled, how about the Umno Supreme Council and the people at large? Will their voices too be stilled?”

He referred to the statement by Mohamed Khalid Nordin, Johor Menteri Besar and the party chief in that state, that they are tired of being told to be patient and, ignoring Utusan Malaysia’s stand, spoke up for the grassroots when he said that the people must be heard.