What now for Muhyiddin?
The next party election is likely to take place only in 2018 and probably after the next general election. This was agreed upon at the last Umno supreme council meeting. No one sees Muhyiddin and Shafie being able to sustain interest, sympathy and support for that long.
Joceline Tan, The Star
TAN Sri Muhyiddin Yassin looked incredibly composed considering that his political career had come crashing down the day before.
There was a crazy crush of media people in the room on the ground floor of his posh Bukit Damansara house, all expecting something controversial given that he had been chopped as the Deputy Prime Minister and also as Education Minister.
In fact, his first words as he settled down for the press conference were: “I have never seen so many media people here.”
The question on everyone’s lips was whether he would take his sacking lying down or if it would be the catalyst for a political crisis in Umno.
Muhyiddin’s exclusion from the Cabinet reshuffle has sent shock waves through the party. Very few of them had expected the former Deputy Prime Minister’s criticism of the 1MDB issue to come to this.
There is also a great deal of what the Malays call kesian feelings or sympathy among Umno members over what has happened.
Muhyiddin, 68, is not exactly the kind of political leader that gets people excited but the Umno fraternity does look up to him as a party elder with a track record, especially in Johor where he was Mentri Besar.
“There will be some turmoil. It will be some time before the party goes back to normal,” said a former Umno Youth leader.
Some imagine that Muhyiddin will now join forces with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who was also dropped from the Cabinet, to mount a challenge against Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
This was fuelled by the fact that Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir had been among those who arrived at Muhyiddin’s house hours after the reshuffle and that the two men had an intense conversation in the closed-up family dining room.
Shafie, who was axed as Rural and Regional Development Minister, had also dropped by but stayed only briefly.
But the prospect of challenging Najib for the leadership of Umno is quite impossible for now.
The next party election is likely to take place only in 2018 and probably after the next general election. This was agreed upon at the last Umno supreme council meeting.
No one sees Muhyiddin and Shafie being able to sustain interest, sympathy and support for that long.
“Umno politics today is not like 20 years ago when your loyalists stuck by you through thick and thin. Today, people support you for what they can get out of it,” said an insider.
Muhyiddin’s sacking has drawn analogies to that of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim 17 years ago. But the two situations and personalities are completely different.
Muhyiddin cannot create the groundswell that Anwar could, but he can still throw a spanner in the works if he wants to. He is still the party’s deputy president and chairman of the powerful Umno management committee, which has veto powers over a lot of issues.
But he is no rabble-rouser and few see him stirring up things on his own, although he might if Dr Mahathir eggs him on. He can still do a lot of damage if he wants to. Given that, he will continue to steal the limelight in the months to come.
Everyone agreed that he has shown class and decorum in the wake of his sacking. He has made it clear that he is a party man. He accepts the dismissal as the Prime Minister’s prerogative and as for his future plans, he needs some time to think things over and rationalise what has happened. But it is apparent that he will continue to air his views on 1MDB.
There were brief moments during the press conference when it looked like the emotions were about to rise to the surface, and he could be seen rapidly blinking his eyes as though to hold back tears. But he is quite a stoic person and held back his emotions like a champion.
There has been speculation that Najib tried to soften the blow by offering him the choice of either an ambassador’s post or the chairmanship of a prestigious GLC, but it is not known whether Muhyiddin was interested.
Meanwhile, there is an inexplicable rumour that Muhyiddin will also be sacked from the party. But sacked for doing what? It would be absurd to sack someone from Umno for asking questions about 1MDB.
Muhyiddin may not be on the same page as Najib but he is, without a doubt, a loyal and committed Umno man.
