Does Muhyiddin even want to be PM?

The former DPM's actions do not make sense unless you think of him as a man who is absolutely loyal to Umno.

COMMENT

Anyone not living in a cave would know by now that Muhyiddin Yassin was expelled from the Federal Cabinet because he openly spoke against Prime Minister Najib Razak. But what many have not taken the time to consider is his motivation for doing so.

Muhyiddin is a masterful but cautious politician, and it was completely out of character for him to lay his neck on the chopping block. He must have known that the Prime Minister was getting desperate and inching ever closer to repressive action against his critics. He must have considered the possibility that Najib would undo himself in his desperation. All he had to do was extend his patience a little longer and he might be handed a first class, all-expenses-paid trip straight to the top.

Instead, Muhyiddin chose to go down in a blaze of glory, much like The Edge did. The comparison may raise eyebrows, but perhaps The Edge and Muhyiddin have more in common than most people think.

The Edge came across information that it could not, in good conscience, ignore, and went public with it despite the risks. It chose to be heard, and in doing so, made itself a target for annihilation. So how does this relate to Muyhiddin? Could it be possible that becoming Prime Minister has never been his goal?

After all, he has had his chances, so many chances that so many in Umno would have stabbed their own brothers for. Even at the height of Mahathir’s blitz on Najib, when everyone was calling for him to step forward and take his rightful place as the next Prime Minister after his jaw dropping speech at the last Umno general assembly, he ignored the calls and proceeded to go about his duties as Umno’s Number Two. This is not an industry where such chances come by often. There are politicians who have killed for much less, and it is almost unthinkable that any politician worth his salt would turn down the opportunity to go to the top of the heap.

The only obvious logical explanation is that this has never been about the prime ministership, as far as Muhyiddin is concerned. In fact, reading through his statements and considering the course of events that has led Muyhiddin to this point, it seems like he was merely looking for a way to save his beloved party. There is no denying that Muyhiddin is a party man, and he is very cognisant of the fact that Umno could be headed to an unprecedented defeat. For someone as loyal to the party as he is, the current situation is untenable and must be remedied, but Muyhiddin would never consider working outside the system for it.

In fact, it is this very loyalty to his party that assures that Muyhiddin will not join forces with the opposition, unless he is sacked from Umno itself. Even in the face of vilification from his own beloved party, Muyhiddin will stay loyal to Umno, and he will try to change things from the inside.

We’re only speculating, of course. But if we’re spot on, then perhaps Muyhiddin is indeed the best champion we can hope for from within Umno for now. In these tense, heavy days, people will look to the steadfast for an example, and Muyhiddin is setting a good one, speaking up for what he thinks is right and accepting whatever consequences may come.