Muhyiddin needs to win big — The Malaysian Insider
(The Malaysian Insider) – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has to win big at next week’s Umno polls.
He has no choice. Pressure is building on him to not only win but get a massive triumph against the only rival left for the deputy presidency, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib in the March 25 election.
Muhyiddin has been getting ringing and overt endorsements from former party president and member Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has rubbished Muhammad as someone who cannot speak English and had committed an offence in Australia.
“I think what is left is somebody who is… well, could not read English and therefore he did something wrong in Australia. So my choice is Muhyiddin,” he said yesterday.
Officials fron Pekan Umno, which is led by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, have been going around the country telling as many of the 2,500 delegates that the incoming president wants Muhyiddin as his deputy.
Several influential Umno warlords have also been asked to help Muhyiddin win at the polls.
Muhyiddin and those aligned to him are worried about the fallout from Umno knocking out Datuk Seri Mohamed Ali Rustam from the race for the party No 2 as Ali’s supporters might swing and back Muhammad instead.
Ali was the popular choice for the deputy presidency although Muhyiddin has been seen as more suitable for the post with endorsements from Dr Mahathir and Najib. But those endorsements could either make it or break it for him. And he might not get any of Ali’s
votes now.
With that scenario in mind, Muhyiddin has five days to convince the delegates that he is up to the job without the need for anyone to come to his defence or promote him. He has to do it on his own. And he has to win big.
Any other outcome or a tight race with Muhammad, seen unfit by many, would be an unmitigated disaster for Muhyiddin and reflect the delegates’ lack of faith in him.
As it is, he doesn’t have the panache of Mahathir, who got away with a 43-vote win against Tengku Razaleigh in the 1987 party polls and went on to rule the country unopposed until 2003.
All he has is an uphill task to target a massive victory.
