‘M’ For Manipulative

BIG DOG DOT COM

There a good and prevailing chance that if and when ‘Piagam Muafakat Nasional’ is highly successful post 14 Sept 2019 that Gerontocracy Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would turnaround and instead ride on the force of Malay unity, to check on the anti-Malay and Chinese Chauvinist DAP.

It is interesting on the perspective of UMNO President Dato‘ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, on the success of leading UMNO to work and collaborate with PAS, the two largest Malay-Muslim political parties after parting ways forty two years ago.

The Star story:

Why Umno supports PAS, Zahid explains

NATION
Thursday, 12 Sep 2019
6:56 PM MYT
By Zakiah Koya

KAJANG: As I trailed behind the latest Mercedes into the driveway of a grand-looking bungalow in Country Heights, we were told this is where we will be interviewing the man who used to be one of the most powerful politicians in the country.

A man clad in a short-sleeved blue shirt, dark blue slacks and slippers, with his greying hair, emerged from inside the house and welcomed us.

It was former deputy prime minister and former home affairs minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“Bring those mineral bottles of water, cold ones,” he directed one of the 10 people hovering around him as we sat down to do an exclusive.


“Here, we only serve Barisan Nasional water. We will always have them and Barisan will always exist,” said Ahmad Zahid, as he decided that he wanted the interview to be carried out on the simpler modern-looking sofa compared with the grand Chesterfield-looking sofa set.

It is now over two months since he returned from garden leave.

Ahmad Zahid was pressured by fellow party leaders to go on garden leave from his post, as he is facing a total of 87 graft charges in court.

However, six months later, Ahmad Zahid announced his return to duty on June 30.

The bungalow was his family’s foundation, Yayasan Falah – handsomely furnished.
Right next door stands a “surau”, which is almost as big as a mosque, clean and new, but deserted.

Ahmad Zahid had offered The Star an exclusive interview to explain himself why Umno had decided to consort with its once-sworn enemy, PAS.

As Ahmad Zahid ordered his aides to prepare prawns and calamari for tea later on, I showed him a picture when he graced the magazine “Men’s Review” in 1997.

“Ah, I used to be so young, and my hair was all black,” said Ahmad Zahid, obviously delighted to see his old picture.

Ahmad Zahid, then the Umno Youth chief, has come quite a circle, for he is now leading Umno as the Opposition leader after losing the last general election to a one-year-old coalition, Pakatan Harapan.

As the interview took place, Ahmad Zahid cried “political persecution” for the long list of graft charges he is facing.

He said, despite that, he knows very well that he is also a wanted man to explain whether he is sidelining the non-Muslims, as he rubbed shoulders with the leaders of PAS.

The Bagan Datoh MP pointed out that the upcoming Ummah Unity Gathering on Sept 13 and 14 is not the first time Umno and PAS will be on the same stage.

More than 10,000 Umno and PAS members are expected to converge at PWTC on those two days, and it will culminate in a rally.

“Ummah is not only Muslims – it means humanity as a whole,” said Zahid, when asked if he had left behind main fellow Barisan counterparts MCA and MIC when he decided to embrace PAS-style politics.

“We have tried to come together for more than 40 years, and there was never any political effort to bridge this gap. Personally, I took the effort to bridge the gap in 1998 with the late Datuk Dr Haron Din of PAS, and he came out with the idea on PAS and Umno working together. He suggested a joint mechanism.

“On Dec 4,2016, we came together officially for the first time for the Rohingya issue. Both the then Umno and PAS presidents came together, with the majority of Umno and PAS leaders,” said Ahmad Zahid.

He added that the other events that followed were “Himpunan Melayu Bangkit” (Malays Rising Gathering) in Pasir Salak and the rally to oppose the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd) in Kuala Lumpur last year.

When asked why Umno chose PAS, he said it is because PAS has “long been an Opposition”.

He agreed that both Umno and PAS have differences, but insisted that they have grown on each other.

“We need to build our chemistry, not by force but ‘organically’. The organic growth of this chemistry was established after I took office in Umno.
“I not only ignited the chemistry, but managed to come to a natural understanding and it has been a good political dividend for Umno,” said Ahmad Zahid.

As to whether he accepted PAS leadership’s open support for Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Ahmad Zahid said that friends should respect each other.

“PAS has its own reasons to support Dr Mahathir to continue until the end of his tenure. We feel that if promises of Pakatan are not fulfilled, then we expect that (a non-confidence vote against Dr Mahathir in Parliament) may happen. If anything happens, there may be divine intervention. In this matter, respecting a friend is more important than a pre-empt what we cannot control,” said Ahmad Zahid.

He also said that although Umno and PAS may not be similar in their approach to non-Muslims, they had decided to “marry”, because both agreed that Pakatan had failed to deliver promises it made in the last general election.

“What we are doing now is not so much of political marriage; neither is it marriage of convenience,” said Ahmad Zahid.

Although PAS had been in cohorts with PKR and DAP, Ahmad Zahid said Umno decided to join hands with PAS because they both agreed that DAP should not push the “Malaysian Malaysia” agenda.

“Malaysian Malaysia” of DAP is a campaign which called for equality among all races, and Umno said that it questioned the privileged position of Malays as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

“Umno then realised that if it does not work with PAS on these issues (Malay and Islam), these issues will disappear and a country which is multiracial will lose its main race as the main force,” said Ahmad Zahid.

He, however, insisted that although Umno and PAS are both Malays and Muslims, the joint charter on their cooperation would still be based on the multiracial concept for the country.
He pointed out that there is a need to work on that “misperception” that Umno-PAS is only for the Malays as they need to capture the Sarawakian non-Malay parties.

Ahmad Zahid said that although he is open to the idea of a coalition, he will work on what he has now.

“Let us cross the bridge first (if Umno-PAS can win the next general election). In Islam, we have to work hard and work smart. Then we do our prayers,” said Ahmad Zahid.

At the same interview, Ahmad Zahid said there were those in Umno who questioned his return from garden leave to helm the party once again, despite the charges.

However, he said those who do not agree with his plans are a “pain in the neck” which had been dealt with.
“It is not of me burning myself, but it is about taking risks for the struggle. There will be a bright light at the end of the tunnel, especially now that we are working with PAS,” said Ahmad Zahid.

Asked whether the light he sees at the end of the tunnel may be an oncoming train, he said there are two tunnels.
“One is for the leaving train and one is for the coming train. Whatever it is, there will be no loggerheads between the two trains,” said Ahmad Zahid.



Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/09/12/why-umno-supports-pas-zahid-explains#YJpw9G6Jfw1H1kWT.99

************

It is very interesting on UMNO President Zahid’s story on the beginning of UMNO-PAS co-operation, after over three decades of political bad blood especially in Prime Minister Dr Mahathir’s first tenure (1991-2003).

The UMNO-PAS co-operation that would be casted in stone is much more than two political parties do away with outlined differences of ideology, for the strategic and common good of the Malays.

The unity on Rohingya’s cause (December 2015) must have started earlier, perhaps from a series of consultations and meetings.

It has been said that Gerontocracy Prime Minister has been briefed by specific authorities in the recent months.

What is interesting from sources that at best, his leadership and Pakatan Harapan’s administration could only amass 30% of Malay votes.

One of the senior officials who instrumented the information which was capitalised and manipulated to the fullest by Gerontocracy Prime Minister Dr Mahathir and PH leaders which saw the rejection and downfall of Prime Minister Dato Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak and BN’s rule opined that PH would lose if a general election be called immediately or soon.

Gerontocracy Prime Minister Dr Mahathir who has been seen as a leader with no continuous development agenda but his own, on the other hand is continuously attacking the Malays.

As a marvellous Machiavellian, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir would be likely to manipulate the situation if it is strongly proven the Malays are united.

The Baron of Crony Capitalism and de facto Adviser to the Gerontocracy Prime Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin already sounded out on the incompetency of the Government.

There are bound to be some gullibles within the said “70% of the Malays not supporting the Government” would be soften and bought into Gerontocracy Prime Minister’s theatrics and drama, in the name of Malay unity.

“Tun (Dr Mahathir) would know what to do. We should trust him!”, who be the best line of those who would be blinded about the fact that Gerontocracy Prime Minister has a personal vendetta against PAS for half a century.

Specifically, he has been very bitter since he was defeated by PAS in his home turf seat of Kota Setar Selatan at 3GE on 10 May 1969.

In short, PAS scarred him for life!

He would be bold in the interpretation of DAP’s stance, as well as the incompetency of DAP leaders as Ministers in strategic posts such as Finance, Transport, Communications abs Multimedia, Law, Primary Industries and Human Capital.

More over, when he starts to attack DAP leaders incrementally.

After all, the future of Gerontocracy Prime Minister Dr Mahathir’s own party PPBM is highly on the very long uncertainty list.

Being Amanipulative is what Gerontocracy Prime Minister Dr Mahathir is at his best.

He got UMNO leaders to ‘revolt’ against founding father and first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman post 3GE. He manipulated his way, mainly through the ‘Divide and Rule’ strategy to remain in power for over 22 years.

Gerontocracy Prime Minister Dr Mahathir got his successor and Fifth Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to prematurely give up his leadership.

Needless to mention, he got his own blue eyed-boy Prime Minister Najib to be ousted and almost dismantle BN completely.

Never to underestimate the man who has successfully manipulated the intelligence and emotions of many, especially the Malays for over half a century, despite being a Gerontocratic man of over ninety four years old.

At the current buzz and flavour, denying Anwar “Mat King Leather” Ibrahim for the Premiership would be the right objective for his manipulation to remain in power and hitching on the Malay Unity is the best option there is.