Second time unlucky for Mukhriz

On both occasions, his father, two-time prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was busy with other political matters while moves were under way to oust him.

(The Sun Daily) – For Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (pix), the job of Kedah mentri besar is probably never meant to be his.

He lost it for the second time yesterday when his own party colleagues pulled the rug from under him.

In 2016, he lost the confidence of his party leaders (he was with Umno then) and was unceremoniously replaced by the Alor Merah assemblyman Datuk Paduka Ahmad Bashah Hanipah.

This time, it’s his own party again that sent him packing. The deputy president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) lost the support of four of the party’s six assemblymen yesterday.

In addition, two rebel PKR assemblymen also announced their intention to cross over to the opposition, leaving Mukhriz with no choice but to vacate the post.

In the 2018 general election, Pakatan Harapan (PH) won 19 seats, comprising seven from PKR, six from Bersatu including Mukhriz, four from Parti Amanah Negara and two from DAP.

Of the remaining 17 of the 36 seats in the state legislature, PAS won 15 and Umno secured two.

With the six assemblymen crossing the aisles to the opposite bench, PH is now left with 13 seats.

PAS, being the biggest component of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition in Kedah, is now slated to take the MB’s job.

Incumbent opposition leader and Jeneri assemblyman Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor is touted to be the frontrunner for the job.

Ironically, his sacking came on the heels of a successful campaign to stem the spread of Covid-19 in Kedah. It has been declared a “green state” having gone through two weeks without a new infection.

Despite his academic credentials, Mukhriz has unwittingly shown that being the son of a master tactician in Malaysian politics is not an advantage.

Unluckily for him, on both occasions, his father, two-time prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was busy with other political matters while moves were under way to oust him.

In 2016, Mahathir was caught up in a campaign to remove former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak from office.

This time, the elder statesman is trying to make a comeback after having himself being ousted from office by party rebels.

Universiti Sains Malaysia political scientist Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian speculated that the move to oust Mukhriz this time had the tacit approval of Bersatu president and Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The Covid-19 crisis seems to have worked in favour of Muhyiddin, politically. Even Mahathir has recently conceded that he may no longer have the numbers to take on Muhyiddin.

Sivamurugan said the fact that Mukhriz’s own party members broke ranks with him showed that Muhyiddin has the advantage as party president and prime minister.

“It will be difficult to see Mukhriz taking on Muhyiddin for the top job in the party,” he said.

A spokesman for a tourism association pointed out that Mukhriz does not have grassroots support and despite having helped Kedah stave off a major infection, he has not been around to guide the travel trade community in mitigating the negative impact on the industry.