Student overtakes sifu
Power in Umno begins at the division level and the support for Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as he officiated at one division meeting after another last month suggests that he is on a roll.
Joceline Tan, The Star
DR Mohd Khir Toyo’s new marriage has been the talk of Umno circles.
It was all that many in Umno could talk about when news that the former Selangor Mentri Besar had taken a second wife broke last Sunday. Dr Mohd Khir’s second marriage managed to out-trend other bigger political issues in Umno.
A great deal of it had to do with the fact that his new wife Christine Zanitrah Abdullah is very attractive with almond-shaped eyes, full lips and a figure where all the assets are in the right places.
At 39, she is a good 12 years younger than Dr Mohd Khir although his own complexion, long a subject of gossip, is as rosy and smooth as that of the bride.
But there was also sympathy for his first wife Zahrah Kechik, who stood by him through his corruption trial and imprisonment. It is tough to be compared to a trophy wife under the glare of the public spotlight.
The gossip surrounding the nuptials was a pleasant diversion from more serious political issues floating out there and for a while, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, his new party and his quest to wipe out Umno became secondary to curiosity about the new woman in Dr Mohd Khir’s life.
But that is the reality that lies ahead for Dr Mahathir, who is no longer what journalists call breaking news material.
Malaysians had held their breath when he began his campaign against Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. But everyone, especially those in Umno, knows by now that the once infallible Dr Mahathir has lost the fight.
The opposition parties were banking on him but as one opposition MP said: “He could not find the silver bullet, he couldn’t pull any rabbits out of the hat.”
His Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia is in danger of turning into a wet firecracker and the silence on the part of opposition leaders about his party speaks volumes.
It helps explain why Najib has been on a roll in Umno. The Umno president has hit the road every weekend since the start of August, officiating at one Umno division meeting after another.
By today, more than 95% of the Umno divisions would have wrapped up their AGMs. The party will then start preparing for Umno general assembly later this year.
Last year’s general assembly was full of tension, all of which was played out on the stage. It was the prelude to the break-up between Najib and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
But Najib has emerged steadier and this year, he will see the party rally behind him in an even bigger way as Umno members now see him as a winner and the one to lead Umno against the new enemy, Parti Pribumi.
He will seek the mandate from the general assembly to make critical changes to the leadership of a number of states in order to secure a bigger election victory and it will be all systems go after that.
The next general election is not only about the survival of Umno and Barisan Nasional, it is also about his own survival. And that means Sabah must come along with him, the way Sarawak did.
Najib addressed two events comprising a total of eight divisions in Sabah last week. He started on the northern end of Sabah where the gathering comprised the divisions of Kota Belud, Tuaran, Kudat and Kota Marudu.
He then continued on the southern side for the joint opening of the Papar, Kimanis, Beaufort and Sipitang divisions.
“There was a good atmosphere, you could feel it in the air, especially the way they responded to the PM’s speech. The reaction was very spontaneous,” said a Kuching-based journalist.
The division head for Kota Belud is Information Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak, who was recently appointed Umno treasurer.
It is a prestigious party post that was held by the former Finance Minister and Salleh’s appointment was widely seen as acknowledgement of his unstinting support for Najib throughout the 1MDB debacle last year. Salleh is also the first Sabahan to hold the post.
Another first for Sabah was the appointment of another loyalist, Datuk Rahman Dahlan, as the Minister overseeing the Economic Planning Unit in the last Cabinet reshuffle.
Rounding out the trio of loyalists is no less than Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who has developed a close working relationship with Najib. They respect each other and not many people know Musa meets Najib regularly, sometimes twice a month.
Known as Sabah’s “Smiling Tiger”, Musa has turned out to be the great survivor. He was widely seen as a Pak Lah man but along the way, he has become associated as a Najib man.
Then there is the fact that Musa is something of a warlord of all warlords, given the way he has managed to hold all the local Sabah warlords in check.
“If anyone knows about political crisis, it is Sabahans. We have changed government four times and we have had 14 Chief Ministers. But this is the time for consolidation.
“There are always challenges, but Sabah will remain a power base for Umno. There is a lot of affinity in Sabah for the PM, he has done more for the state than any PM before him,” said Rahman.
Rahman, who started out as Musa’s political secretary, said the Sabah Chief Minister is also mindful of the legacy he wants to leave behind.
He said that Musa decided not to contest the last Umno election in order to give a better chance to leaders like Rahman, former Puteri Umno chief Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin and Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin to win seats in the Umno supreme council.
Delivering the Sabah seats in the next general election will add to his legacy.
The impact of Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s sacking appears to be contained to the eastern side, largely around Semporna. Umno leaders in Sabah do not attack him. Instead, they acknowledge his contributions but add that it would not have been possible without the backing of Umno.
The best example of how the party is bigger than the individual is Datuk Lajim Ukin, a popular and generous leader during his Umno days. But his influence has waned since leaving Umno for PKR.
What a difference a year makes. Najib’s most lethal enemies last year were within the party, but they are now gone and Umno members have closed ranks behind him.
Najib’s speeches vary from division to division, but the over-riding target is Dr Mahathir. The former premier has been painted as a quarrelsome old man who has teamed up with the opposition to destroy the party that had stood by him for 22 years.
“In the eyes of ordinary Umno members, getting close to Lim Kit Siang is something that even our younger members cannot accept,” said Azizi Safar, head of the Jalan Kedah branch in Penang.
Dr Mahathir is not senile, but that is how the less intellectual in Umno perceive him as they cannot rationalise how someone who had spent the best years of his career building up Umno is now trying to torch the party. For the average Umno member, someone of Dr Mahathir’s age should be resting at home and reading the Quran.
Najib has packaged all these arguments in a simple way: “If you are not happy with my leadership, challenge me in the party election. There is no need to destroy Umno just because you don’t like me.”
Finance Minister II Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani was one of those despatched to talk to Dr Mahathir before he went on his rampage.
“Leaders come and go but trying to destroy our party, that is something I cannot understand. I don’t want to say anything bad about him because I am a product of the Mahathir years. But I wish him all the best,” he said.
Johari officiated at the Cheras division AGM this year, the same stage that led to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s downfall a year ago.
Johari, who is Titiwangsa MP, did not miss the irony of the situation but, as he noted, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge.
“There is a still a lot of work to do, but the party is intact and on stable ground,” he said.
The division leaders who lent Najib the weight of their support last year feel vindicated that they have done the right thing.
“Last year was the biggest test in our president’s career. But his killer instincts came out, he removed his enemies and replaced them with people he can trust. There is no more doubt, he is the man to lead Umno,” said Kapar division chief Datuk Faizal Abdullah.
And the greatest irony of the Mahathir-Najib fallout is that Najib has turned out to be Dr Mahathir’s “best student”. He has beaten his sifu at the game of survival.
