Power play that rocks Terengganu

The political transition in Terengganu did not go as smoothly as expected and the state has been throbbing with all sorts of speculation.

Joceline Tan, The Star

THE late-night swearing-in of Datuk Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman as the new Mentri Besar for Terengganu on Monday was the first hint that all was not well in the state.

The other hint was the glaring no-show by Razif’s predecessor Datuk Ahmad Said. By then, political circles in Terengganu were abuzz with speculation that Ahmad had resigned from Umno and declared himself to become an independent assemblyman for Kijal.

Just hours after the swearing-in, it was confirmed that Ahmad, deeply frustrated and unable to accept his fate, had also persuaded two other assemblymen – Ghazali Taib (Ajil) and Roslee Daud (Bukit Besi) – to follow him out of the party into the no man’s land of politics.

Terengganu was on the road to yet another constitutional crisis. The irony is that it is the second such crisis associated with Ahmad who came to power in 2008 after a protracted standoff between the Palace and Umno over the choice of Mentri Besar.

For much of yesterday, Terengganu was throbbing with speculation that more assemblymen would jump ship and that the State Legislative Assembly would be dissolved.

But the situation seems to have been contained, thanks to intense behind-the-scenes intervention by top Umno leaders. Two of the assemblymen concerned have since been persuaded to retract their resignations.

The State Assembly is also not going to be dissolved any time soon. As Umno politician Datuk Wan Farid Wan Salleh put it: “The Sultan cannot simply act to dissolve the State Assembly based on what is reported in the media.”

Wan Farid said the assemblymen involved have to formally inform the State Assembly that they are now independent members and a confidence vote will be taken at the next State Assembly sitting in September where the fate of the state government will be decided.

“It would be a different story if they had made it clear that they are with PAS.

“But they are independents and the Speaker cannot assume that they are with the other side,” he said.

But that, apparently, was the option of last resort for Umno. All the Umno assemblymen in Terengganu had signed open-dated letters after the general election, pledging to vacate their seats if they defect from Umno and the party had intended to hold them to their word.

Despite claims that PAS is preparing to join forces with the trio to form the next government, a PAS leader from Terengganu claimed there had been no meetings with the defectors and that they are in wait-and-see mode for now.

But there is no doubt that PAS can smell the prospect of power and even has a potential candidate for Mentri Besar, in the form of Manir assemblyman Hilmi Harun, a young ulama whose late father was the hardline Datuk Harun Taib who had led the party’s Dewan Ulama.

Ahmad, who is known for his street-fighter style of politics, is probably revelling in the upheaval he has created.

He does not seem to care about how history will view him and as one Umno politician put it, he is “making don’t know” about the fact that he had signed a letter agreeing to stay for only a year after Terengganu almost fell in the general election.

He also does not seem to be making any immediate effort to move out of the official residence of the Mentri Besar in Kuala Terengganu.

As his successor was being sworn in on Monday night, Ahmad was entertaining several of his stalwarts and supporters in the official residence. There were only a few cars parked outside, but the whole place was brightly lit, as though something big was going on.

Ahmad, according to one of those present, was in a jovial mood, joking and smiling through the night. It could be his usual bravado although it is possible that he may be enjoying the moment for all it is worth.

He told those present that he had pleaded with the Prime Minister for one more month when they met on Monday morning because he was planning to have a second wedding kenduri in his constituency for his daughter who got married last Saturday.

He also told them that Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob should go first and not him.

But basically, the leadership transition has been poorly managed. Umno politicians claimed that the Putrajaya official who was in charge of the matter had under-estimated Ahmad.

On Monday night, the official was more interested in mingling with the new Mentri Besar instead of doing whatever he could to contain the fallout from the leadership transition.

Many in Umno have been at a loss to figure out what Ahmad is all about. His rise to power was very controversial and his exit has been even more controversial.

He not only refused point-blank to take responsibility for nearly losing the state in the general election, he has tried to bring down the Barisan government.

He had advertised himself as the “rakyat’s MB”, but his actions show that the rakyat is the last thing on his mind and that it is all about himself and his political ego.

His associates said that he has lost face, his pride has been injured and that was why he is fighting back. But his critics think he is being spiteful, full of revenge and does not seem to understand that the Mentri Besar’s position is not personal to holder.

The Prime Minister had wanted to give Ahmad a “soft landing” when he agreed to let him stay on for one year. But the “soft landing” became a hard landing because Ahmad was not ready to be grounded.