Is Zahid the sole issue?

 I’m sure most of us can recall this saying: “If you point one finger at someone, there are four fingers pointing back at you”.

In the aftermath of the six state elections, many have pointed at Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in such a condescending manner as if he is the one and only one who should shoulder the blame for his party’s disastrous outing at the polls.

Their fingers were pointed, almost in unison, at the Umno president stating that there was a “crisis of confidence” in Zahid’s leadership and that it was time for him to step down and allow others to rejuvenate the party.

Many current and former Umno leaders and the party’s opponents in Perikatan Nasional, notably Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, wanted Zahid’s head to roll. They believe the deputy prime minister should take responsibility for the electoral drubbing.

I think the important question to ask is: Is Zahid (above) the sole issue here and is the Umno president solely to be blamed?

Calling for blood

If I were an ordinary Umno member from the rank and file, I would agree that Zahid, as the Umno president, should be held responsible.

Like many Umno members, I would not want to see the party totally annihilated. Umno’s fortunes has hit rock bottom, as it stands today. The party cannot afford to sink deeper.

I believe I would be crying out for Zahid’s blood too because I think it is only fair that as the top leader in the party, the honourable thing for the party president to do is to step down.

His predecessor, Najib Abdul Razak, did that following Umno’s defeat in 2018. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also stepped down as prime minister and Umno president after BN’s humiliation in the 2008 general election.

Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak

I think I would be prepared to point my finger at Zahid and risk having four pointing at me because the Umno president has to be accountable for the party’s misfortunes in the just-concluded state elections.

Zahid also led Umno into GE15 in November last year and the results were the party’s worst ever. Umno members have not forgotten that nightmare.

The three million Umno members are bigger and more important than one man. This is how I would view the situation if I were an ordinary party member.

Closing ranks behind party chief

However, assuming I am an elected representative from Umno and in the good books of the party president, I believe I would go with the natural flow and make excuses for Zahid to continue leading the party until the next party election.

Let us not pretend that there are no personal motivations and ambitions here. When personal interests become the primary driving force behind a politician's decisions and actions, it can lead to conflicts of interest, corruption, and decisions that prioritise narrow gains over the broader welfare of the population.

This should be worrying for the party and a real cause for concern for Umno. As an elected Umno rep, I would probably be considered a ranking party member, either a divisional leader or even a supreme council member.

It’s possible I could have discarded ethical guidelines and thrown public trust and integrity out of the window too in order to satisfy my personal interests.

I have to protect my position and my good rapport with the sitting party president because my political future depends on him.

Surely, I would be the first to support Zahid when he vowed to march on and “do more” to help the party regain confidence.

I would also agree with him when he stated that it was not the first time an Umno president was called to resign following a poor electoral showing but said it should be the collective responsibility of the party’s leadership.

For Umno people who stood by their embattled president, they would surely be comforted by the statement from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who said that there was no reason for him to step down as the Pakatan Harapan-BN coalition also won the three states of Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan.

Anwar was responding to Muhyiddin’s call for him and Zahid to step down from their positions in the government.

Status quo preferred

So, what do ordinary Malaysians think of Zahid and Umno moving forward?

In general, I believe it is the general consensus that Malaysians want the unity government to serve out its full five-year term with Anwar as prime minister.

For that to happen, it has to be status quo, meaning the Pakatan-BN coalition must be intact. Thus, Umno and Zahid have to stay where they are.

Lest we forget, it is also by royal decree that this Anwar administration was established.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

It is clear within Umno that Zahid is needed to lead the party in the Madani government because a new Umno president may not be as supportive of Anwar. So far, Zahid’s commitment to the unity government has been solid.

As for the assertion that the Malays are to blame for Harapan-BN’s poor performance in the state elections as they are allegedly being susceptible to racial and religious sentiments, inciting them to fear the Chinese and DAP, it is best for the prime minister and his colleagues to put such negative thoughts aside as the elections are over.

The government must concentrate on reforms, work hard on economic recovery, bring in more investments, create jobs and opportunities, and help the poor and needy.

As for Zahid, I don’t think it’s fair to blame him alone for the electoral debacle. However, it must also be emphasised that an honourable leader would have taken responsibility and resigned.

Umno needs a more popular president. Zahid has had his chances and it’s unfortunate that he took over Umno in 2018 when the party was at its lowest ebb. Luck has not been on his side since. - Mkini

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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.