Sink or swim? Analysts divided on Mukhriz’s future

As Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir stands on the brink of being removed from office for a second time, analysts are divided on whether this would signal the end of his political career.

On one hand, some analysts believe Mukhriz (photo) is still relatively young and stands a chance at making a strong comeback despite the setbacks he faced.

University of Science Malaysia (USM) political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian said the challenges that Mukhriz face will strengthen his position as a politician.

“I think he has gone through thrashings that are common in politics, as we’ve seen during his time in Umno and now he is facing for the second time (in Bersatu). I believe this would strengthen his position to continue this political struggle.

“It is incidents like these that would stiffen his resolve and determination in facing challenging situations, like what we’ve seen twice in Kedah already,” he told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Universiti Utara Malaysia’s (UUM) Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani concurred with Sivamurugan, saying that a career in politics has its ups and downs.

However, he said the challenges that Mukhriz is facing would only make him a more matured politician.

“He is still young in politics, so for me, it’s normal to have ups and downs in politics. Even (Bersatu chairperson) Dr Mahathir Mohamad, (PKR president) Anwar Ibrahim, and (Pekan MP) Najib Abdul Razak have their ups and downs.

“In this context, I would think Mukhriz already has his ups and downs, but since he is still young, he will learn from these two experiences to become a more mature leader.

“So, there is a possibility that he could make a comeback, perhaps through a different platform, approach, or perspective,” he said.

Commenting on Mukhriz’s current predicament in Kedah, Azizuddin said everything now hinges on Kedah Sultan Sallehuddin Badlishah’s discretion.

“Muhkriz is still menteri besar, and in his press conference, he said the best solution is through a state assembly sitting.

“But all this depends on the sultan’s discretion, and no sultan has ever agreed outright (to a motion) that a government has lost confidence after receiving it.

“At the same time, the sultan could say the menteri besar should be changed, but he wants more nominations.

“So, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the names proposed such as (Kedah opposition leader) Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor would be accepted. Although PAS stands a huge chance, that’s not necessarily how it would turn out,” he said.

Earlier today, Perikatan Nasional assemblypersons had an audience with the Kedah sultan, after Kedah PAS - which holds the most seats in the state assembly - claimed to have the support of 23 out of 36 Kedah assemblypersons to form a new government.

The tussle for control over the Kedah government followed Bersatu's infighting at the national leadership, after some Bersatu leaders including Mahathir - who is Mukhriz’s father - rejected cooperation with PN.

Mukhriz has asserted that he remains the menteri besar as long as PN has yet to formally prove it has majority support.

Living in Mahathir’s shadow

Meanwhile, several political observers predicted that Mukhriz’s political career is finally reaching its end.

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak senior lecturer Jeniri Amir said Mukhriz is becoming politically irrelevant.

“Overall, I think his political power is gone and he would become even weaker once his father is no longer with Bersatu.

“Mukhriz is caught in a bind; especially when Umno and PAS take power, he would be like melukit di tepi gantang (irrelevant).

“In my view, he is not a prominent politician and his father is more outstanding and overshadows him,” he said.

Meanwhile, former USM School of Social Sciences lecturer Ahmad Atory Hussain said Mukhriz’s political position has been going downhill since the beginning of Bersatu’s internal crisis.

“Mukhriz’s performance has been going down since the day Bersatu was beset with problems, and now add to that his position in the state government.

“There are many things that Mukhriz needs to fix, as well as his leadership, if he wants to make a comeback as a capable politician,” he said.

Previously, it was speculated that the Bersatu supreme council was plotting to sack Mahathir and Mukhriz, the latter of whom is the party’s deputy president.

This came amid a struggle between factions led by Mahathir and Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin over the direction of the party.

For the record, the Pakatan Harapan-led government had toppled in February after Muhyiddin took Bersatu out of the coalition to form new cooperation with PKR defectors led by former PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali.

They then joined forces with opposition parties to form the current PN-led government. - Mkini