Najib is the easier prey for Pakatan than Muhyiddin

Awang Ismail @ Anak Putrajaya

UMNO leaders’ recent statements clearly show that they have given up all hopes of regaining non-Malay votes. It is going to the next polls solely relying on 60-65 percent Malay votes and hoping their ‘fixed deposit’ in Sabah and Sarawak remains intact.

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia seems to be contradictory to this plan of UMNO. He still puts hopes in regaining non-Malay support for BN. It is not difficult to understand why.

He must do better than Abdullah Badawi’s record in 2008 or else risk being booted out as UMNO president in the party election that was delayed to pave way for 13th GE.

On the other hand, his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin’s declaration of ‘Malay First, Malaysian Second’ and recent strong stand in support of Section 114A if the Evidence Act have won support of UMNO members.

Many in UMNO felt Najib had been giving in too much to public pressure, which they believed was due to Pakatan Rakyat’s campaign. Muhyiddin’s firmness in not negotiating and not being apologetic to BN leaders who questioned the Evidence Act’s amendment boded well with such sentiments.

PR should take note of this and make sure Najib continues to lead UMNO into 13th GE.

Together with his wife Rosmah Mansor, a Najib-led UMNO-BN will be much easier prey for PR and Anwar Ibrahim.

The road to Putrajaya for Pakatan is certainly easier with Najib at the helm. 

However, while Muhyiddin can convince UMNO that he is the better leader, he may find it hard to find support from BN component parties. But since non-Malay votes are already considered a lost cause, UMNO may just consider going it alone with Muhyiddin to shore up Malay votes to 70 percent, something they cannot achieve with Najib’s 1Malaysia.