Umno adopts the brilliant Saudi-Israel strategy
If the Malays buy this, then PAS and PPBM are not needed. The Malays only need UMNO to serve the needs of both the Malays and Islam. This, in fact, is a most brilliant comeback plan — if it works. All Umno needs to do now is to go to the ground to convince the Malays that Umno is not selling out the Malays by doing a deal with DAP and instead is going to strengthen Islam if it wins GE15 with a strong, formidable, convincing majority.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
I was wondering how Umno was going to get out of the corner it painted itself into and I think the strategy of going solo for GE15 and then form an alliance AFTER GE15 with whoever wins the most or second-most-number of seats is a very clever idea.
That, in fact, is the same strategy that Saudi Arabia and Israel adopted last year, of course with the blessing of the United States.
Umno has adopted the brilliant Saudi-Israel strategy
For Saudi Arabia and Israel to openly enter into talks or do a deal would mean the downfall of the Saudi Royal Family. Iran would be able to realise its decades-old ambition of replacing the ‘Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ (Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Servant of the Two Noble Sanctuaries and Protector of the Two Holy Cities,) with an international committee à la the Vatican (a move Iran started 40 years ago).
If Umno or Barisan Nasional goes to bed with Pakatan Harapan it would be committing suicide. (In fact, in the Israel-Egypt case, Anwar el-Sadat was assassinated in 1981 for openly talking to Israel).
First of all, MCA will never agree to play second fiddle to DAP or to become DAP’s barua. MCA and DAP have been enemies for too long plus they are both fishing in the same pond. The way DAP and MCA look at each other is no different from how Umno looks at PPBM.
If you have DAP in the coalition then MCA becomes surplus, and vice versa — just like if you have PPBM in the coalition then Umno becomes surplus (and vice versa).
Hence a Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional coalition is not feasible. An Umno-Pakatan Harapan coalition, on the other hand, (meaning minus the other BN members) is more workable — but not to face GE15, only after GE15.
This is actually quite a brilliant strategy. You do not expose yourself until after you ‘almost win’ GE15.
No one is going to win enough seats to form a government on their own (meaning win not less than 112 seats but desirably 125 seats to be safe). Umno may win 60 seats while DAP and PKR would win even less. In a multi-corner contest, PPBM, PAS, Amanah, etc., would be struggling to maintain a strong presence.
So, like it or not, a coalition will have to be formed after GE15 if they want to form a government. And to make this post-GE15 coalition possible, some form of secret electoral pact must be sealed before GE15. And that is what is being planned.
The evidence will surface in the runup to GE15 when Umno will contest against PAS and/or PPBM but in certain seats Umno will give way to Pakatan Harapan to contest. Hence Pakatan Harapan will not face an Umno candidate but will instead take on a Perikatan Nasional candidate.
This will make PAS irrelevant
Umno needs to show the Malay voters that PAS and PPBM are no longer required because Umno can serve both the needs of Malay nationalism as well as Islam. Party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has started the ball rolling by announcing that if they are able to win GE15 with a two-thirds majority, they will strengthen the Sharia laws.
If the Malays buy this, then PAS and PPBM are not needed. The Malays only need UMNO to serve the needs of both the Malays and Islam. This, in fact, is a most brilliant comeback plan — if it works. All Umno needs to do now is to go to the ground to convince the Malays that Umno is not selling out the Malays by doing a deal with DAP and instead is going to strengthen Islam if it wins GE15 with a strong, formidable, convincing majority.
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(NBC News) – In the Middle East, your enemy’s enemy is your friend. For Israel, Saudi Arabia’s growing willingness to confront Iranian influence in the Middle East presents an opening for an awkward alliance. As the kingdom’s dynamic new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, tries to rally an anti-Iran coalition, Israel — with the blessing of the Trump administration — is presenting itself as a willing and able partner.
