Balancing act for Najib

Will Umno go the right-wing direction or can Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak continue to steer his party towards the centrist route at the Umno general assembly next week?

Joceline Tan

TAN Sri Muhyiddin Yassin looks like his usual self again now that his hair has grown back. His shaven head following his return from the Haj in Mecca had led some to speculate that he was unwell.

On the contrary, the Umno deputy president has been looking quite fit of late. He has lost some weight and, as everyone can see, he has learnt how to smile.

He is also probably aware that there have been all kinds of gossip that he is planning to make his exit from politics.

“I don’t see anything like that at all. No one is nudging him, that I am very sure of. The No 1 and No 2 are comfortable with each other,” said Tan Sri Shahrir Samad.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had given Muhyiddin a warm man-hug when they met in Parliament last month. Najib is not a touchy-feely person but performing the Haj is always special for a Muslim and it was a brotherly welcome back greeting from one man to the other.

One of the possible reasons behind the speculation has to do with the heightened profile of Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein in recent months.

The Defence Minister, fully recovered from his heart attack last year, has been moving rather aggressively. He is probably trying to leverage on the positive feedback stemming from his handling of the MH370 tragedy.

More than that, the Umno crowd imagines that he is positioning himself to be the next deputy prime minister.

But honestly, the idea of two cousins occupying the two highest posts in the country is simply not on for most people. It would be even more awkward than the “Istana Segambut” family politics of PKR or the papa-and-son dominance in DAP.

Umno will have to sort it out in the best possible way when the time comes, but until then Muhyiddin is still Najib’s preferred choice of deputy.

It does seem odd that the Umno crowd should be indulging in this sort of talk so soon after the party election. But it is there, hovering in the background as Umno prepares to converge for their general assembly this week.

The president’s policy speech for the assembly is always treated like some kind of state secret but going by Najib’s speeches at the Selangor and Johor Umno conventions, it is likely that a key theme will be renewal, bringing in new talents and political transformation.

Everyone in Umno, said Kapar deputy chief Datuk Saroni Judi, agrees on the need for new faces and fresh talent especially in states where the party is the opposition.

“But putting it into action is another story. We really need the federal leaders’ help in Selangor. We don’t want to be forever the opposition in Malaysia’s richest state. The federal leaders must understand that national issues determine how Selangor people vote,” said Saroni.

There has been a great deal of debate on what has been said about Selangor and the pressure is also building for those in Penang and Kelantan.

Selangor Umno chief Datuk Noh Omar recently told Selangor leaders: “I was appointed by the PM. If he says that I should step down, I will step down. I am saying this from the bottom of my heart.”

Some regard the recent developments in Selangor as a wake-up call. But if it is only now that the alarm has gone off, then there is something wrong with the alarm clock.

The Johor Umno convention was more focused and confident in tone. The delegates seemed to know what went wrong, what needs to be done and how to go about it.

As Shahrir put it: “Enough of moping around, the general election and the party election are over. The MB has put in place a people’s budget for the state. It’s time to take care of our divisions and constituencies and build from there. We feel confident to proceed with the change.”

He said there was a time when Johor Umno could put a songkok in any seat and win, but the pendulum had swung and nothing is to be taken for granted anymore.

Shahrir, who now sports a snowy white beard, is also preparing to make way. He is a great believer in grooming new talent and it is likely that he feels a deep sense of accomplishment because the current Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Khaled Nordin was his one-time anak didik (mentee).

“Old-timers like me, we will play our part. I’m not going to cling on or sulk when it is time to go. I’m not saying my goodbyes yet, I still have work to do, but this will be my last term,” said Shahrir, who has been an MP since 1978.But not all veterans are the target of change. For instance, Umno members are full of admiration for Datuk Jahara Hamid, the woman whom they call Umno’s most famous grandmother in Penang.

Jahara, 62, is the opposition leader in the state assembly who has given the men in Umno a run for the money. She has won admirers from both men and women in Umno for daring to stand up to the domineering style of the Penang Chief Minister. She has shown that longevity in politics is less about age and more about being able to deliver.

There has been a great deal of anticipation about the Umno general assembly. There have already been outbursts from Umno leaders who were upset with an MCA leader for cautioning Umno not to make “hurtful remarks” during the general assembly.

They did not take it well because many in Umno say that their partners in Barisan Nasional are more eager to attack and criticise Umno than to take on the opposition parties. They say that their Barisan partners should look after their own backyard instead of telling Umno how to run their affairs.

There is a sense that the hurts, anger and frustrations in Umno are about to spill over. It is no secret that they are still angry about what they see as the “Chinese betrayal”.

The emotions will probably manifest in the debates on vernacular schools, the perceived attacks on Islam and the monarchy and the Sedition Act which they see as necessary to maintain peace and order in the country.

For instance, the call for Umno to contest all the Malay-majority seats was their way of saying that their Barisan partners won those seats with the help of Umno support.

The Chinese vernacular press recently claimed that Umno is planning to push for the abolition of vernacular schools. It is not only untrue, but it is also not realistic to abolish these schools. However, there will certainly be criticism of how vernacular schools, especially Chinese schools, have not helped in building national unity. The mainstay of Umno comprises Malay nationalists of the “my country right or wrong” type. They are appalled with fellow Malaysians who praise everything about other countries but only see bad things in their own country.

The Umno folk were very pleased with Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek for criticising the DAP leader of Sarawak for his disrespect towards the national anthem. Ahmad Shabery had berated the DAP leader for mocking the Negara-Ku being played in cinemas during the National Day month.

Many in Umno are still upset about the incident where Chinese Malaysians studying in Taiwan, posed with the Jalur Gemilang hung upside down during the last general election.

They were shocked that these Chinese university students were so shallow as to confuse their anti-government feelings with symbols of nationhood. For many in Umno, such incidents could be summed up in a few words – disloyalty to the country.

The Federal Territory Umno convention taking place today might provide an indication of what the debates next week would be like if speakers are allowed to go on as they like.

The organising chairman for the Federal Territory convention is none other than Datuk Syed Ali Alhabshee, the fearless and also much-feared Cheras division chairman. He has given the assigned speakers a free hand to speak – there will be no censorship.

He told them during a briefing: “Pour out your hearts. I want you to be brave, to come out with ideas for the good of the party. Umno needs people with guts, not people who are afraid. If we want the party to survive, we need people who can defend the party.”

Syed Ali carries tremendous clout simply because of his commitment to the party despite Cheras being a place where Umno will never have a chance to contest. A video of Syed Ali speaking out against the Wanita Umno attempt to establish a fourth vice-president post that will be contested only by the women is making its rounds on social media.

Apparently, all the branches in the Cheras division had initially endorsed the motion for the woman vice-president post. But after Syed Ali’s fierce speech, the Cheras Wanita Umno division promptly rejected the motion.

Despite the high octane sounds coming from Umno over the last few weeks, the word is that Najib wants a frank and rational debate. He is not going to let the speakers run wild, as what happened at the no-holds barred general assembly back in 2006. He wants them to be critical but factual, heartfelt but not over emotional.

Every Umno general assembly since Najib took over the helm has been about walking a fine line and striking a balance between the mix of sentiments that make up Umno. The coming gathering will be no different.

The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.