Book on Pak Lah meant to threaten Umno unity, analysts say

Melissa Chi, MM

The timing of a book on Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s tenure as prime minister was meant to create discord in Umno ahead of the annual general assembly in December, according to two political analysts yesterday.

In a report by Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia, Geostrategist at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Dr Azmi Hassan said the editors and publisher of “Awakening: The Abdullah Years in Malaysia”, have been accused of portraying the book as based solely on Abdullah’s opinion, which was not the case.

“Abdullah’s view was not out of the ordinary but what was controversial was the editors had painted a bad perception of the former prime minister, especially on the part where it touches on his relationship with the fourth prime minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“It was clear that they had used Abdullah to ruin the unity in Umno, especially ahead of the annual general assembly,” he told Utusan Malaysia yesterday.

The 620-page book was a collection of multiple views from different personalities, including politicians across the divide and academic observers as well as exclusive interview where the usually quiet man finally speaks out against his detractors.

In the short few days following its release, the book dominated headlines in the media, with heavy focus given to Pak Lah’s words on Dr Mahathir and what the former prime minister described as “unwarranted attacks” on his person that eventually led to his ouster.

The books two editors, Professors Bridget Welsh and James Chin, have insisted the book was miscategorised as “Pak Lah’s book” in the media.

Further in the Utusan report, Azmi alleged that the book’s editors will use any medium to create a false perception of Abdullah and Umno.

“One of their strategy is to use someone within Umno and not the opposition to criticise the party,” he said.

Meanwhile, senior lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia Prof Dr P. Sivamurugan said the onus was now on Umno to counteract any confusion that may arise from the book’s contents.

“It has created a new dilemma as to whether Abdullah’s interview which spoke about Umno’s leadership after his time, were based on facts or it was only the writer’s perception,” he said.

Following the furore stemming from reports based on the book, Abdullah came out to deny that he was part of a conspiracy to attack the Malay nationalist party.

In it, the usually-reserved politician takes aim at predecessor Dr Mahathir  and what the former prime minister described as “unwarranted attacks” on his person that eventually led to his ouster.

The controversy also moved Welsh and Chin to postpone the Kuala Lumpur launch on August 16 and cancel the Singapore launch on the 30th, citing concerns over its “politicisation” and sensationalisation by media organisations in their reportage of portions of the book.