Umno’s ‘truce’ with PPBM won’t last long, says analyst

 

An analyst says Umno is already declaring war by insisting that it wants elections when the Covid-19 situation improves.

PETALING JAYA: A political analyst says an “all-out war” between Umno and PPBM is inevitable and will likely happen once the Covid-19 situation in the country improves.

Speaking to FMT, Kamarul Zaman Yusoff of Universiti Utara Malaysia said Umno’s reiteration that it was committed to a political ceasefire would ensure its support for Budget 2021 which will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat next week.

“But the writing is on the wall, there will be an all-out war between Umno and PPBM,” he said.

Kamarul was commenting on Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement after last night’s five-hour Supreme Council meeting that the party wants a general election once the Covid-19 pandemic is under control.

Kamarul Zaman Yusoff.

“By saying they want an election so that the country can have a stable government, they are already declaring war with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.

“It can also be read as Umno wanting to take the lead in administration and only this can ensure political stability,” he said.

Kamarul said Umno’s desire for an election indicated that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration might not last long as it was conceivable the party would withdraw its support for him once the Covid-19 situation improves.

“It is likely that Umno will withdraw its support in a bid to force an election so all parties should prepare for this,” he said.

But, he said, there was also a possibility that Muhyiddin could shore up his support with the backing of opposition MPs, including those in Pakatan Harapan, though this would challenge the narrative that PN was a Malay-Muslim government.

“Some may argue that if Muhyiddin resigns (if he does not have a majority), we may not necessarily have an election as a new prime minister may be appointed from the current batch of MPs but I don’t see this happening as it is difficult for anyone to get a clear majority with the current configuration,” he said. - FMT