Mohamad Hasan as prime minister? Why not? That is an interesting poser. Not new though, but that conversation is slowly heating up.
Not exactly the frontrunner for the coveted top post, will Mohamad, popularly referred to as Tok Mat, emerge as a serious contender for prime minister?
The just-concluded Umno assembly saw the party’s deputy president, an unlikely person to be in the limelight (because you are only Number Two), being mentioned as a possible prime ministerial candidate and also accused of selfishly eyeing the prime minister’s post, at the same time.
It might be in the form of a teaser from Mohamad’s boss, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who said that if it was Mohamad's rezeki (gift), maybe he will be the next prime minister.
What was also interesting about Zahid’s speech on Saturday was that he also related that when it was time for Umno to nominate a prime minister candidate after Muhyiddin Yassin resigned in August last year, the party decided to put forth only one name - Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Probably Zahid wanted to send a message to his detractors in Umno - a reminder that he had graciously given way to Ismail Sabri. The party boss must have heard rumour of an Ismail Sabri camp within the party too.
One thing is also clear. If Zahid could not assume the premiership due to his legal cases, Mohamad as the deputy president would be the next choice.
As fate would have it, Mohamad is not an MP and, therefore, had missed the best chance to become the prime minister. His junior vice-president, Ismail Sabri, quickly lobbied for and got the job.
So, is Mohamad a serious contender for the premiership? He should be. Apart from being the Number Two in Umno, he is also seen as an acceptable candidate and one of the few untainted top Umno leaders.
Well, so far, I have not heard of the MACC going after Mohamad. Have you?
Non-controversial leader
Mohamad is also among the non-controversial Umno leaders who are not known to be overly ambitious but just aspire to do well in their political careers.
I would liken him to Mustapa Mohamed, a quiet and hard-working political leader whom I once considered prime ministerial material too.
However, I was disappointed when he left Umno to join Bersatu after the 14th general election in 2018. Mustapa turned out to be an ordinary follower, and not a leader after all.
Well, I hope I will not be proven wrong about Mat Hasan in future.
At 66, Mohamad is also at the right age (not too old, still energetic and healthy) for the tough, stressful job at the top. His lack of experience at the federal level should not be held against him as he had been the menteri besar of Negeri Sembilan for 14 long years. He graduated from Universiti Malaya and very importantly (in my list of criteria, at least), he speaks English well.
There is no doubt that the man is also interested in the job. When he was asked by a reporter during the height of the Umno tussle with Muhyiddin who the new prime minister will be, Mohamad cutely responded, “you could be looking at him”.
Then again, which politician does not covet the top job? The guy at the bottom also aspires to be prime minister one day. Nothing wrong with being politically ambitious. The more important question is your ability to handle the job and your suitability for the top position.
Work cut out for Mohamad
In Umno, at least Khairy Jamaluddin was open and honest to declare that he would be interested in becoming PM if given the chance to serve in that position one day.
Why, even Dr Mahathir Mohamad, at 95 in 2020, was keen to lead a unity government by becoming prime minister for the third time.
Even if Mohamad did not hint at his PM interest/ambition this time, Nazri Abdul Aziz brought it up on his behalf and, in a not-so-friendly way.
A long-time Umno rabble-rouser, Nazri charged that Mohamad was eyeing the position of prime minister - after the latter called for the 15th general election to be held as soon as possible.
"It is clear that right now, he (Mohamad) is only thinking of himself. He wants to contest for Parliament and if he wins, he wants to be prime minister - that is where his interests lie," Nazri was quoted as saying by MalaysiaNow.
Mohamad was also ticked off by Annuar Musa who said that his speech at the Umno meet discussing the election date was “very out of place”.
He said that it would only spark polemics. Only the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, he added, has the right to decide on the election date and the prime minister may only advise.
Well, Mohamad has some work cut out for him. With colleagues like Nazri and Annuar ready to pounce on him any time, he has to find some allies quickly within the party if he ever hopes to reach the top. There are now clusters aplenty within Umno.
Whatever is in store for Mohamad, he can be comforted that public opinion is largely on his side that he should be among the top contenders for the PM’s post if BN/Umno wins GE15.
I, for one, stand opposed to having the same old actors and players for the political scene in the country will not be stable if they remain.
I’m prepared to try out Mohamad as prime minister, not because he is the best but for lack of a better choice.
At least, he is a fresh face and a new hand in Putrajaya. We need that badly, for a change. - Mkini
FRANCIS PAUL SIAH is a veteran Sarawak editor and heads the Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS). He can be reached at sirsiah@gmail.com
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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