Deputy President – the dark horse vs Najib’s chosen man

Earlier this week, 20 top party leaders were given assignments by Mr Najib to campaign for Mr Muhyiddin. They were told to do whatever it takes to bring in the votes.

Leslie Lau, Today Online

JUST one day before United Malays National Organisation (Umno) deputy presidential candidate Mohd Ali Rustam was officially barred this week from contesting next week’s party polls, the anger and frustration among his supporters had become palpable.

Some of his strongest backers wanted Mr Mohd Ali, the 59-year-old Malacca Chief Minister, to consider resigning from the party if he was barred. They even wanted him to consider ruling Malacca as an independent, by asking Umno legislators in the state to also resign en bloc in protest.

But the career Umno man, who started life as a clerk in Malaysia’s national electricity board in the 1970s, would have nothing to do with such a move.

Still, the fallout from the decision of the Umno disciplinary board to bar Mr Mohd Ali for vote-buying has shaken up a party which could do without any further schism. It is being read by many as a clear move by in-coming party president Najib Razak to ensure his chosen man – Mr Muhyiddin Yassin – becomes the No 2 man in the Umno.

Mr Muhyiddin, who is Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister and a former Mentri besar of Johor, was thought to be a shoo-in for the deputy presidency.

If all had gone according to plan, Mr Mu-hyiddin, 62, would sweep aside his rivals Mohd Ali and former Selangor Mentri Besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib.

Mr Muhyiddin would then be confirmed as Malaysia’s new Deputy Prime Minister when Mr Najib takes power as the country’ssixth Premier after next week’s Umno elections.

"This was suppose to be Najib’s dream team, and together with Muhyiddin, they would build up a strong Umno and ensure a strong government to face off the challenge from the Pakatan Rakyat," a senior Umno leader told Weekend Xtra.

But Mr Mohd Ali had other ideas, and so did Umno delegates.

In the last few weeks, it had become quite clear to observers and Mr Najib’s team thatMr Muhyiddin was headed for defeat. Mr MohdAli had emerged as a clear favourite.

Mr Najib’s team began to act.

A number of Umno ministers were given assignments to talk up Mr Muhyiddin’s prospects in a number of newspaper interviews. They also pointed out why Mr Mohd Ali and also Mr Muhammad were not suitable for the job of party No 2 and DPM.

Both Mr Mohd Ali and Mr Muhammad could hardly speak English, they said. It was also noted that both were not federal legislators and as such would need to be appointed Senator just to be appointed into Cabinet.

But despite their best efforts, Mr Mohd Ali still looked strong.

This week, though, the axe fell on him.

The party’s disciplinary panel as well as Mr Najib himself have been forced to come out to dispel the disquiet which has grown into loud rumblings of discontent among the grassroots.

"What is the difference between what Mohd Ali was found guilty of and what all the other candidates are doing?" said one Umno delegate at a recent meet-the-candidates session. "They should all be found guilty of money politics."

At one recent meet-the-candidatessession in Ipoh last week, Mr Norza Zakaria, an Umno Supreme Council delegate, got the loudest applause despite having been charged in court a week earlier for vote-buying. And in Seremban on Thursday night, it was Mr Muhammad who received the loudest applause.

The reason for this: Delegates who were backing Mr Mohd Ali previously are now throwing their weight behind Mr Muhammad.

As such, Mr Muhammad, 63, is emerging as a dark horse and some observers now even say he is leading the race.

The emergence of Mr Muhammad, a man who was once caught by Australian Customs officers with a suitcase full of millions of dollars in cash while he was still Mentri Besar of Selangor, has caused serious concerns in the Najib camp.

Earlier this week, 20 top party leaders were given assignments by Mr Najib to campaign for Mr Muhyiddin. They were told to do whatever it takes to bring in the votes.

"The situation is not good for Muhyiddin," one of the party warlords given the assignment told Weekend Xtra. "In Johor, Muhyiddin is only leading 60-40 by our estimate, and that is his home state, so we need to do much more."

The argument for Mr Muhyiddin is simple. He is a very experienced politician, having served as Johor Mentri Besar, and is still a federal minister. His reputation is also untainted, compared with Mr Mohd Ali and Mr Muhammad.

But Mr Muhyiddin’s aloofness has been the greatest setback.

Mr Mohd Ali and Mr Muhammad remain very popular with the Umno rank and file, because, some would suggest, the two men have used dubious means to garner that support.

Even former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad had been forced to jump into the fray this week to suggest that candidates such as Mr Muhammad were not suitable.

One of the main reasons why Mr Najib’s camp want Mr Muhyiddin as the party No 2 is probably because a recent survey by the independent Merdeka Centre showed the public preferred Mr Muhyiddin as the party’s deputy president and DPM.

If Mr Muhammad is elected instead, there is a great fear among Mr Najib’s camp that his new administration would be hamstrung in any possible effort to reform the party and the government.

The writer has been reporting on Malaysia and the region for more than 15 years in newspapers and on television. He now runs his own public relations consultancy and is consultant editor to the Internet news website The Malaysian Insider.