Who can lead BN’s move to reclaim Selangor?
The Barisan Nasional (BN) faces a major predicament in its battle to reclaim Selangor in the next general election – it lacks a clear choice of commander to lead its political machinery.
Pathma Subramaniam, fz.com
This is evident from the state of limbo in Selangor Umno, the senior partner in BN, which has been under the stewardship of Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak since he took over as the prime minister in 2009 and appointed himself as the state Umno liaison chief soon afterwards.
It also reflects the lasting effect of the BN’s shock defeat in the 2008 general election, when the ruling coalition lost control of the country’s most-developed state for the first time.
Political analyst Professor Datuk Mohammad Agus Yusoff of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia bluntly states that the BN, which has to deal with a full array of unresolved leadership issues, will be unlikely to win the state back from Pakatan Rakyat, despite having held it for more than 50 years before the damaging defeat five years ago.
“Leadership is one very significant issue here and, what does Umno have?” asked Mohd Agus. “It has money and (control of the) mainstream media. But in a place like Selangor, the online media plays a big role in the dissemination of information and it is not enough that BN can exploit the mainstream media.
“A majority of the electorate in Selangor is bound to gauge a party depending on the leadership of the party and its image, as well as the unity it shows and the personalities who are vying to be candidates,” said Mohd Yusoff to fz.com.
In the 2008 general election, BN only managed to win 20 of the 56 seats in the Selangor state legislative assembly. Of that, 18 were won by Umno and two by MCA. In at least nine of these constituencies, BN won by less than a 5% majority, while Pakatan Rakyat held an unassailable 36 seats prior to the defection of two of its assembly members and the death of another.
It was the worst ever defeat for BN in the state. In contrast, during the 2004 general election, BN controlled 54 of the 56 seats in the state. This reflects the force of the political tsunami that swept the nation in 2008.
The defeat took the party’s divisions by storm, resulting in a massive shake up in its ranks, with Najib taking over control of the state Umno apparatus from former menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo.
‘1,000 generals’
Mohd Khir, who was largely blamed for the BN’s loss in the state in the 2008 election, however retained the Sungai Panjang seat with a comfortable majority. He was also dropped as the state’s BN chairperson, a position he had held since 2000. He now leads Umno’s state-level think-tank.
His credibility was put to the test again, when he was charged with graft, upon which he resigned as the leader of the opposition in the legislative assembly. In the case, he was sentenced to a 12-month prison term two years ago for corruption involving two plots of land in Petaling Jaya. Mohd Khir has appealed against the decision.
Nevertheless, according to Mohd Agus, although Mohd Khir had left office in disgrace, the former menteri besar is seen as a force to be reckoned with in the state, along with several prominent personalities including his predecessor Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib and Selangor Umno deputy liaison chief Datuk Seri Noh Omar. These leaders are well connected with their electorate and are able to move the ground support in favour of the candidate they back.
For a while, speculation was rife that Sri Serdang assembly member Datuk Mohamad Satim Diman would be the candidate of choice after taking over from Mohd Khir as the leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly in July 2011, but the appointment of former works minister and Sepang MP Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed as BN coordinator in the state early last year, gave life to rumours that Mohd Zin stood a better chance as he was seen as Najib’s choice.
Reports have also emerged that the BN is looking at fielding corporate personalities to take on Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who is frequently cited for his skills in managing the state’s coffers.
One such personality, whose name was bandied about, is property tycoon Datuk FD Iskandar, the chief executive officer and managing director of Glomac Berhad, after his appointment as the party’s state treasurer but, the lack of resounding support for the political newcomer put the brakes on such speculation.
Despite repeated calls for Umno members to close ranks, discord remains ostensible with “too many warlords” wanting to take the lead, noted Mohd Agus.
