UMNO power struggle as elections loom
IT’S TOFFEE’S TURN
Whilst all eyes are on the next General elections the stage is being set for the next UMNO general assembly, where the signal for Muhyiddin’s exit is being set. The Mahahtir camp is busy working out the strategy for this shift and the Muhyiddin camp is fully aware of this danger so both sides are preparing for battle – after the battle to wrest the government of this country.
Win or lose it is romoured that the BN will seize power, if they seize power after losing they reckon this process will be much easier, in an emergency like situation where Najib will remove Muhyiddin in favour of his not so intelligent cousin Hishamuddin Hussein Onn as stop gap deputy and then get Mukhriz to step into his shoes by giving Hishamuddin outside the Federal Cabinet.
The recent talk about Mukhriz going for the position of Menteri Besar of Kedah was initiated by the Muhyiddin camp in an effort to force Mukhriz into accepting it to take Kedah out of Pakatan Rakyat’s control, and then neutralise Mukhriz’ ambitions for Muhyiddin’s position, the plan seems to have backfired, because according to our sources Mahahtir Mohammed smelt the rat as soon as he got the news and got UMNO to immediately go into damage control and deny it before it got too big.
There is talk about moving Muhyddin back to Johor as Menteri Besar, and the excuse will be that UMNO and BN is losing ground in this their strongest state. Muhyiddin will be touted as the right person to handle the job and the entire supreme council will be directed to back the plan, many of its members have already been approached.
The intrigue in UMNO today is greater than the the intrigue in the forbidden city during the last days of Chinese Emprors, it is a sure sign of the decline of UMNO, it’s a ‘dog eat dog’ situation according to an UMNO vetran, “never before in the history of UMNO, not since Razak went for the Tengku in 1969, nor when in 1977 when Mahahtir went for Hussein Onn in proxy be unleashing his pet Sulaiman Palestine – the then UMNO information chief has UMNO gone int such dirty politics,”said this UMNO vetran whose son is a very successful Malay and UMNO sponsored businessman.
“This will be played dirtier than when Mahathir cheated in the 1987 UMNO elections and supposedly won the elections, he knew he lost so he got the judiciary into a mess, if the appeal then had gone through unhindered and without government intervention, it would have been a totally different Malaysia today, totally different maybe not so many foreigners in our country,” said this gentleman who now resides in Penang.
“Probably we will not be sitting here for a drink it could have well been in a hotel in town this may not even have been built, and I would have been able to enjoy my scotch in the open like we used to before,” he said in between sips after dinner in a place at the Straits Quay.
On the other front, Muhyiddin has asked his camp to play low key, if anything has to be unleashed against Najib and his “mentor” it has to be sudden and at a crucial time in UMNO that there will not be an opportunity for the Mahathirian camp to fight back, “it should be swift and decisive, there will be no turning back, ” Muhyiddin was quoted as having said.
Muhyiddin is very uncomfortable with Mahathir , and he has to watch every step he takes, he can’t have his plans leaked, he seems to be doing fine on that score, but you can never tell in UMNO as Mahathir is famous for buying out UMNO boys to get what he wants, and there are people in Johor UMNO who are willing to align with Mahathir in this war.
Mahahtir has the funds or at least the sources from whcih he can squeeze it out, Muhyiddin has his back agaisnt the wall, normally an UMNO deputy will be able to muster funds at will, but now after the Sharizat affair it has been made very difficult for him and in UMNO today as it was during the good old days of Mike Tyson it’s money that talks, not Bahasa Melayu, but money talk, in UMNO Bahasa Melayu is for showtime at the assembly, it is not understood only money is understood loud and clear in that party.
