Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin expressed hope that the appointment of two key Umno leaders to more senior positions within the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, in an apparent move to corner Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, will improve the unity among the ruling coalition's component parties.
Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been appointed as the deputy prime minister while Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was upgraded to a senior minister.
The appointments are seen as a concession to Umno in an attempt to block Zahid from taking the party out of the PN government.
"It is hoped that these appointments will improve the PN government’s capability particularly in facing the Covid-19 pandemic, strengthen unity between the ruling coalition parties and solidify the PN government through an administration that is transparent, free of corruption and with integrity," Muhyiddin said in his statement.
The warring Umno factions had been in a flurry of meetings in the past week as they planned their manoeuvres.
Ismail had been organising Umno MPs during a gathering at Jalan Bellamy in Kuala Lumpur on July 2.
His group also snubbed Zahid's attempt to meet with the MPs individually. Instead, they reconvened as a group on July 5 in Kuala Lumpur and invited Zahid to make his case.
Zahid, who has majority control of the Umno supreme council, had been setting the table for the party's exit, which could lead to the PN government's collapse.
He is speculated to be planning a deal with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to form a new government.
In March, Zahid also managed to steer the Umno annual general assembly to approve a resolution granting him the authority to decide on the party's exit from the PN government.
Pre-emptive strike on Zahid
However, Zahid does not have majority control of Umno's MPs, whose say matters more in determining Muhyiddin's future as the prime minister. Muhyiddin is also the Bersatu president.
The MPs are mostly aligned to Ismail and Hishammuddin. Opponents label them as the "minister cluster" as the group hold various government positions.
Zahid's camp is referred to as the "court cluster" as several of them are facing graft charges and have been deprived of government positions.
The appointments pre-empt Zahid's exit plan and push him to a corner.
Ismail and Hishammuddin can now use the appointments to convince the Umno grassroots that they have received concessions from Muhyiddin and there was no need to quit the PN government.
Muhyiddin had offered the deputy prime minister post since October last year but he was unwilling to accept Zahid in the position.
Zahid's camp claims that the PN government had failed in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and does not want Umno to be dragged down by the ruling coalition.
Zahid's opponents, however, believe he is acting in the interest of a group of Umno leaders who hope that their court cases will be dropped.
The Umno president is not only facing strong resistance from within Umno but also from his BN partners.
MCA and MIC had previously indicated their unhappiness with the decision to quit the PN government as they were not consulted.
The next move
Following Muhyiddin's move to promote two key Umno leaders today, MCA hailed the decision, which it said will strengthen the PN government.
MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon said both Ismail and Hishammuddin have wide experience.
"MCA is confident that both leaders can contribute and benefit the people and country. MCA will continue to closely cooperate with Ismail and Hishammuddin so that all cabinet members can fully focus on the efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, revive the economy and help the people who are facing hardship," he said.
Zahid is expected to convene a supreme council meeting tonight.
While Muhyiddin and his Umno allies may have moved to sideline and isolate Zahid, the Umno president could still put up a fight.
Zahid had ensured to make it hard for opponents to oust him as the Umno president by postponing the party polls until December 2022.
With the odds now stacked against Zahid, it remains to be seen if the Bagan Datuk MP is prepared to pull the trigger which could lead to a further escalation of the internal tussle in Umno. - Mkini
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