Anwar is playing psywar while Umno is testing the market

That is the game being played here. Anwar will cucuk Umno while Umno will test the market. What will happen in the end depends on how the grassroots react. Of course, Umno, too, must cucuk the grassroots to provoke them to react. Hence the stories of how Bersatu is unfair to Umno and is bullying Umno, while Umno is a far bigger and older party than Bersatu and hence should be the boss, needs to be repeated again and again.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Around 34 years ago in 1987 — when many of you were not born yet or were still in primary school — Tun Musa Hitam resigned as Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister due to what he described as ‘irreconcilable differences’ with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Musa knew that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah also kecil hati (heartsick, as Malaysians would say) with Mahathir for a number of reasons — such as not giving him the post of deputy prime minister after promising to do so 11 years earlier in 1976, and for kena turun pangkat (from Finance Minister, Mahathir demoted Razaleigh to Trade and Industry Minister).

Musa wanted to oust Mahathir. But he knew he could not do it all by himself. He also knew that Razaleigh, too, wanted to oust Mahathir. But Razaleigh could not do it all by himself as well. However, if Musa and Razaleigh joined forces, then, combined, they had a better chance of ousting Mahathir.

But there was one snag: Musa and Razaleigh were enemies.

And this is where the doctrine of political expediency came in: an enemy of my enemy is my friend, and one plus one equals three.

Musa needed Razaleigh to agree to combine forces. Razaleigh could control the three east coast states while Musa controlled the states south of Selangor. Combined, they could oust Mahathir. If not, taking on Mahathir would be futile.

Musa needed to cucuk Razaleigh — who, as an anak raja, needed to be pujuk and treated as royalty. Razaleigh, on the hand, was not too sure of himself. And, as an anak raja, he wanted to be pujuk and shown he was wanted and not demonstrate that he was desperate for the job of prime minister.

It was basically a “I do not need you but if you need me then you have to pujuk me and jemput me” drama — even if in reality Razaleigh actually desperately wanted the job of prime minister.

Musa then invited Razaleigh to officiate the Umno Kota Tinggi division meeting in Johor. In his speech, Musa announced that Razaleigh was going to challenge Dr Mahathir for the Umno presidency.

The crowd roared and cheered but Razaleigh just smiled and said nothing.

Razaleigh then invited Musa to officiate the Umno Gua Musang division meeting in Kelantan. And, in his speech, again Musa announced that Razaleigh was going to challenge Dr Mahathir for the Umno presidency.

And, again, the crowd roared and cheered and, again, Razaleigh just smiled and said nothing.

Finally, Abdul Manan Othman invited Razaleigh and Musa to the Umno Kuala Terengganu division meeting. In his speech, Manan announced that Razaleigh would be challenging Dr Mahathir for the Umno Presidency.

This time, Razaleigh accepted the ‘invitation’. Since everyone wanted him to challenge Dr Mahathir for the Umno Presidency, how can he continue to not say yes?

The impression he gave was: ‘I do not really want to become the Umno President. But since you all want me so much, then, for your sake, and due to popular demand, I will challenge Dr Mahathir for the Umno presidency’.

Yes, jangan tunjuk yang kita nak sangat. Biar nampak macam rakyat yang nak. Kita hanya reluctantly sambut seruan rakyat.

Anwar and certain Umno leaders are playing that same drama that Musa and Razaleigh played 34 years ago. Anwar is trying to cucuk Umno. Since both Umno and Pakatan Harapan hate PPBM or Bersatu, and even though Umno and Pakatan Harapan are enemies, why not combine forces to oust Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and kick out Bersatu?

Same script from the Musa-Razaleigh script of 34 years ago that eventually saw the birth of Umno’s Team B (and later Semangat 46).

So, while Anwar cucuk Umno (like what Musa did), the pro-Anwar Umno leaders are testing the market (like what Razaleigh did). They want to see how the grassroots would react, whether positive of negative.

When Musa first announced in Kota Tinggi that Razaleigh would be challenging Dr Mahathir for the Umno presidency, the crowd roared and cheered.

When Musa announced the second time in Gua Musang that Razaleigh would be challenging Dr Mahathir for the Umno presidency, the crowd roared and cheered.

When Manan Othman announced in Kuala Terengganu that Razaleigh would be challenging Dr Mahathir for the Umno presidency, the crowd roared and cheered.

That was all Razaleigh needed. He had tested the market and the response was positive. In Kota Tinggi, in Gua Musang and in Kuala Terengganu, the crowd went wild when it was announced that he would be challenging Dr Mahathir for the Umno presidency. So, Razaleigh confirmed, yes, he would be challenging Dr Mahathir for the Umno presidency.

Anwar keeps announcing that Umno will form an alliance or electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan to face the general election or GE15. Umno, however, says nothing. They don’t say yes, and they don’t say no. They first want to see whether the 3.5 million Umno members will go wild with excitement.

If the majority of the grassroots are in favour of an Umno-Pakatan Harapan alliance or electoral pact to face GE15, then the Umno leadership will announce that since the grassroots are demanding it, and in the spirit of listening to the grassroots, Umno will form an alliance or electoral pact with Pakatan Harapan.

However, since Anwar is the one who says Umno and Pakatan Harapan are forming an alliance or electoral pact to face GE15, while Umno or Umno’s Supreme Council itself has said nothing, if the Umno grassroots are NOT in favour of an Umno-Pakatan Harapan alliance or electoral pact to face GE15, then Umno will just drop the subject and say nothing.

That is the game being played here. Anwar will cucuk Umno while Umno will test the market. What will happen in the end depends on how the grassroots react. Of course, Umno, too, must cucuk the grassroots to provoke them to react. Hence the stories of how Bersatu is unfair to Umno and is bullying Umno, while Umno is a far bigger and older party than Bersatu and hence should be the boss, needs to be repeated again and again.