Muhyiddin-Zahid combo emerges to seize the day in Umno?

When 4th prime minister Mahathir Mohamad was in power and the economic growth hovering between 6 to 7 percent, the various mega-projects he implemented drove up his popularity. Obviously, with hindsight and as the shocking expose's of corruption, abuse of power and the media to suppress information splash all over the Internet these days, Malaysians no longer care that much for the veteran leader anymore.

But at that point in time, Mahathir rode so high he did not have to spend any money to promote himself. UMNO was also strong then and the thought of any competition then was laughable. Now the UMNO we are seeing is a comedy in self-denial, propped up by false popularity, vote-rigging and an over-compliant duo at the Election Commission's top management.

6th prime minister Najib Razak, on the other hand with the country at the brink of bankruptcy, has done and is doing little more than putting old wine in new bottles via his so-called transformation initiatives. His own scandals plus his wife’s garish antics are another major bane for his strategists. It is not surprising they have to spend hundreds of millions of the country's money to promote his image. Sad to say, all those 'investments' have just about fizzled out with the conclusion of the 13th general election on May 5.

Of course, UMNO increased its seats but as Mahathir said, this does not mean that UMNO is stronger or Najib is really popular but may be due to sympathy votes from the Malays in the rural areas. It is conspicuous that Mahathir completely avoided mentioning the rampant electoral fraud in GE13, the gerrymandering that he was primarily responsible for that led to the current situation where the Opposition has 51% of the total votes cast and yet only 89 of Parliament's 222 seats.

Perhaps that was to be expected but it is in no way acceptable. Be that as it may, with that dubious result, Najib has failed to secure his position as the leader of the country and even as president of his own UMNO party, the dismal performance has sparked calls for his unseating.

Mahathir openly trying to influence party members on choice of leaders

Needless to say, this is hardly the time for Najib to consider his 'legacy'. True, there is precious little to speak of but having eked out an electoral result that is even worse than 5th prime minister Abdullah Badawi's 140 seats, Najib is now the most vulnerable UMNO president and prime minister.

The 59-year-old is at his weakest and if not for the lifeline tossed out to him by Mahathir's son Mukhriz, who a day ago said he would support a Najib-Muhyiddin Yassin combination for the UMNO No. 1 and No. 2 positions, Najib might as well just pack up his bags and go before he is thrown out in disgrace.

But how serious is Mukhriz? There are others aligned to Mahathir who have offered conflicting opinions. They make it clear that either Najib should go and make way for someone more capable, or at the very least allow the grassroots to decide his fate. With so much dissension going on, no wonder people in UMNO itself are saying the post of president will and should easily be challenged. Most members are also aware that nothing is cast in stone in politics and what Mukhriz has said can be withdrawn in a trice especially should Najib fail to 'pay' up on favors, largesse and so forth.

Frankly any of the top UMNO leaders with sufficient support and worth their salt could easily toss their hat into the ring and beat Najib flat.But sad to say, the majority just do not have the gumption to take on Mahathir. Still 'all-greedy' and 'ever-avaricious' at 87, Mahathir demands that he remains in control and pulls the strings in UMNO from behind the scenes. His political vindictiveness is also such that it is another reason why few want to take on the hassle and dangers of crossing him.

But for those who have the guts to do so, this is the moment for them!

Dog eat dog

The obvious challengers to Najib are his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and newly-appointed Home Minister Zahid Hamidi, also an UMNO vice president. Some say Muhyiddin and Zahid are second-tier leaders but has Najib proven himself a first class leader? Was Badawi a first-class leader? How about Mahathir Mohamad?

These are questions for UMNO members to think about as they brace for a future that has begun to dim on them and might even completely shut down on them if they do make the necessary changes.

Since Mahathir has set the pace for wanting to maintain Najib as president and prime minister, Muhyiddin has to fight his way through on his own. But all is not lost because another ant hill has cropped up in UMNO's flat land in the form of Zahid Hamidi, who despite having a reputation for being somewhat of a loud mouth, also has genuine support within the party.

It is not a secret that Zahid and Muhyiddin have been partners in trying to weaken Najib. It is even more well known that Najib and Mahathir have been trying to sabotage the duo. Yes, dog eat dog - UMNO style!

While Muhyiddin has tried to portray himself as being different from Najib and has taken pains to associate himself with Mahathir, Zahid has been active behind the scenes. Like former Malacca chief minister Ali Rustam, who was clearly back-stabbed in GE13 to ensure he posed no threat to Najib in the coming party poll, Zahid is good at networking and making friends 'all over the party' so to speak.

Najib's aides have also been busy spreading rumors that Zahid was behind the leaks from the Defence Ministry when he was minister there that resulted in Najib’s reputation being tarnished. But the scandals from the Scorpenes submarines, Altantuya murder, the Eurocopters, jet fighters and frigates exploded when Najib himself was still Defense minister!

Many in UMNO long for a shakeup: Is a Muhyddin-Zahid combo the answer?

The irony is that, despite the chance to rise higher in the UMNO hierarchy, Zahid has openly supported the proposal that the top two UMNO posts be left uncontested - thereby prolonging Najib's power and cutting down his own chances.

But does Zahid really mean what he says? Was he doing a "Shahrizat Jaili'? In the 2009 UMNO election, the Wanita chief had time and again insisted she would not challenge Rafidah Aziz and even told Wanita divisions she would not entertain their nominations. Yet when the time came, challenge she did and she won!

Some say Zahid and Muhyiddin are just playing 'good cop and bad cop'. And they are not wrong. Muhyiddin and Zahid are testing the waters and trying to show that they are the most suitable and compatible duo to take over the top two UMNO posts. Obviously in this combo, it will be Muhyiddin going for the presidency and Zahid the deputy presidency.

To be frank, despite the oft-repeated hype from Mahathir and the UMNO media that is now controlled by Najib that there is no suitable Malay leader other than Najib himself, many UMNO members like the idea of a shakeup. A Muhyiddin-Zahid combo appeals to them.

The danger for Muhyiddin and Zahid is being made to look like fools and clowns. They must be careful and learn from the example of Ibrahim Ali, who thanks to his idiotic antics now has zero political capital.

It was not for nothing that a young Malay leader Chegubard recently warned Zahid not to be dense and get sucked into being ultra hardline in his treatment of Opposition leaders so as to curry favor with UMNO grassroots. Firstly, UMNO grassroots are not that stupid and no one likes blatant bullying. If that sort of crazed ultra-Malay stance was worth 2 cents, Ibrahim Ali would have won the Pasir Mas seat and Zulkifli Noordin would not have been thrashed by PAS' Khalid Samad, who stands as a shining example of what a clean-cut, fair and responsible Muslim leader should be about.

To get back to the main story, it is Zahid who will play side-kick to Muhyiddin in the coming UMNO general assembly. Muhyiddin has to keep his head low until the general assembly is closer in sight and make his move only then.

Obviously, both men can abandon their plan as nothing is cast in stone especially in politics. But all things equal, both men are unlikely to stop in their quest to depose Najib and establish a new power equation in UMNO.

A turning point for UMNO and the Mahathir system of dominance

If they succeed, it will mark a serious turning point in UMNO. And this is why Mahathir objects to the change. Not only is this an initiative that he did not broker and therefore have control over, there would be a huge question mark over his own fate in UMNO and Malaysian politics.

So this is why it has been imperative for Mahathir and the Najib camp to stamp in the message that Muhyiddin and Zahid are dumb asses who cannot count to 10 without using their fingers. As long as Najib stays as UMNO president and prime minister, Mahathir still owns UMNO and Malaysia.

Furthermore, there is no need for investors to 'worry' about succession. Who becomes the next prime minister after Najib has already been decided - Hishammuddin Hussein and his own son Mukhriz will be the next combo to take over!

Malaysia won't go bankrupt or not so visibly anyway. From the trillion-odd illicit outflows they have been accused of salting away overseas, Mahathir and his crony Daim Zainuddin will ensure sufficient money is sent back now and then as 'foreign' direct inflows to keep the machinery oiled and the country alive so that it can be raped and plundered of its resources again and again.

This is how the cookie will crumble in UMNO and sad to say, for Malaysia too.

It is for Muhyiddin and Zahid how they plan to break down this 'Berlin Wall' in their party and seize the day for themselves. Can they do it?

With courage, courage and courage - yes. After all, Mahathir is just an 87-year-old bully and the greatest power comes not from money but the human spirit!



Malaysia Chronicle