Why aren’t there any challengers to Najib’s position, asks ex-NST editor
In his latest blog posting, Datuk A Kadir Jasin wrote that Najib was comfortable in his current position as Umno president despite showing the worst performance as Malaysia’s prime minister and the various issues plaguing the country.
Lee Shi-Ian, TMI
Has Umno become too autocratic or does the party lack talented leaders who can challenge Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, a former Umno-linked English newspaper editor asked today.
In his latest blog posting, Datuk A Kadir Jasin wrote that Najib was comfortable in his current position as Umno president despite various issues plaguing Malaysia.
“Before the disappearance of MH370, Malaysians had suffered from drought, forest fires, haze and water rationing,” said the former New Straits Times group editor-in-chief.
“Ratings and criticism do not appear to have threatened Najib’s position as Malaysia’s PM.
“Indeed, it can be described as an irony that while Najib is Malaysia’s prime minister with the worst performance in a general election since the May racial riots in 1969, he is unchallenged.
“There does not seem to be any sustained challenge which can force him to step down from his position in Putrajaya and Umno,” Kadir said.
He said it was different for Najib’s predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose rule was met with fierce resistance from various quarters.
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was a vocal critic of Abdullah.
Dr Mahathir was assisted by deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin as well as pro-Umno bloggers.
However, Najib has not faced a similar threat nor do any of the current Umno leadership seem overly interested in becoming PM, Kadir said.
“It is quite different from Abdullah’s reign when Najib expressed an interest in assuming the number one position in Malaysia.
“In a nutshell, Najib’s weakness is his strength,” Kadir said, adding that Najib was unpopular and his ratings were dropping.
“But he seems to be getting stronger every day, strong enough to shut veteran Umno leaders and shake them using the mainstream media.”
