In politics, trust is less important than benefits, says analyst

 IIUM’s Syaza Shukri says parties will work with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as long as doing so serves their interests.

Former Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the trust between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has deteriorated but analyst Syaza Shukri pointed out that in politics, such faith is never absolute.

PETALING JAYA:

In politics, the benefits that can be derived from working together have greater value than trust in one’s partners, according to an analyst.

Academic Syaza Shukri is of the view that politicians never fully trust each other anyway, even when they are working together. “Trust is conditional between political parties,” she told FMT.

Syaza, of the International Islamic University Malaysia, said reservations between political leaders do not necessarily prevent them from working together, citing PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s relationship with his Umno counterpart, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“So, it matters less whether other political parties trust Zahid when working with his party benefits them,” she added.

Syaza Shukri.

“I don’t think any of them fully trusts anyone. So even if Hadi has reservations about working with Zahid, it doesn’t matter if it will help PAS and Parti Wawasan Negara.

“That is how they have always operated,” she added.

She was commenting on a statement by former Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin that trust between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy, Zahid, had hit “its lowest point” since the formation of the unity government in 2022.

Khairy said Barisan Nasional’s decision to join forces with Perikatan Nasional for the recent Negeri Sembilan election had created a “massive rupture” in its ties with Pakatan Harapan.

Anwar dismissed Khairy’s claim, saying that his ties with Zahid remained good despite “some minor issues at the state level”, which he described as “normal”.

Syaza acknowledged that BN’s decision to work with PN had caused a rift with PH. However, she said BN had to place its own interests above other considerations, including its partnership with PH in the administration.

“If we understand electoral math, BN has to do what BN has to do, even if it means disappointing Anwar,” she said.

Syaza said Zahid’s standing within Umno had also improved. She said he remained in control, with trust in his leadership having gradually recovered from party members’ misgivings over his decision for BN to work with PH four years ago.

“Slowly, the trust has returned. Zahid’s gamble worked, and Umno is seeing a revival,” she added.

Trust between Anwar and Zahid still strong

Azmi Hassan.

Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara dismissed Khairy’s assessment, saying that mutual trust between Anwar and Zahid remained strong.

He pointed out that the ties between them went back a long way — even before they became presidents of their respective parties.

Anwar and Zahid share a decades-long relationship, dating back to their days in Umno. When Anwar became deputy prime minister under Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the 1990s, Zahid was Umno Youth chief.

Many attribute Zahid’s rise to Anwar’s patronage.

When Anwar was sacked from Umno and the government in 1998, Zahid stood by him. However, pressure from within Umno Youth eventually forced him to distance himself from Anwar.

Azmi said Anwar knew that he could count on Zahid’s support until he dissolved Parliament.

He said trust could never be absolute in politics, with Umno ultimately free to work with PH or PN depending on which partnership delivered more benefits.

“Yes, trust is very important, but you cannot hold the trust 100%. In politics, anything can happen. But looking at the situation right now, the trust (between Anwar and Zahid) is still very strong, and mutual indeed,” he added. - FMT