Najib and Zahid played Russian Roulette and lost
What if the Agong summons all 220 MPs to Istana Negara one by one and then titah that after interviewing all 220 MPs, in His Majesty’s judgement, Muhyiddin commands the confidence of the majority of the House and hence should remain as prime minister? That is called playing Russian Roulette.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Last night’s England versus Denmark game was a contest of strategies. Denmark pulled all their reserves into the game to keep their team fresh and towards the end had to play with ten players when one of their players got injured (because they no longer had any reserves to send in).
England reserved their reserves, expecting an extra 30 minutes extended time to result in the 90-minute game becoming two hours (so, when Denmark’s players got tired out, England’s were still fresh).
The 60,000-strong ecstatic home crowd versus the 7,500 very solemn visiting crowd also helped give England’s team semangat to keep attacking wave after wave. The excitement was contagious. Even my wife, Marina, and I watching at home were jumping up and down and screaming at the players to help “direct” them when to pass the ball and when to shoot.
Backfired big time
Yes, even in football you need a strategy. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Najib Tun Razak, however, seemed to have lacked strategy last night. They desperately threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at Muhyiddin Yassin and the Prime Minister called their bluff.
Zahid and Najib used up their reserve last night. And now they have nothing left in which to hit Muhyiddin with. It was a do or die situation, and they died when Muhyiddin did not blink first as they had hoped he would.
Yes, when you have to shoot, shoot, don’t talk (remember that movie: “The Good the Bad and the Ugly?”). The trouble is, they talked too much and did not shoot. One year later, when they decided to shoot, they found that their powder was wet and can no longer fire.
In this game of “Gunfight at the OK Corral”, he who blinks first loses. And Muhyiddin did not blink first.
Zahid said Umno has technically left the government, but he leaves it to the Umno MPs to decide how to vote in Parliament. They have absolute freedom to use their own discretion.
Najib said Umno has not left the government, they merely do not support Muhyiddin.
Zahid said they want Muhyiddin to resign and hand the prime minister’s job to someone else.
Zahid also said they will not accept Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister, or Pakatan Harapan as their new coalition partner.
PAN (a.k.a. Amanah) said Anwar Ibrahim has 88 MPs with him and Muhyiddin has only 76 since 38 Umno MPs have left the government. So that leaves another 18 unaccounted for and two deceased.
That means no one has enough MPs to form the government since the 38 will not work with the 76 and the 88, and the 88 will not work with the 38 and the 76, and the 76 will not work with the 38 and the 88, and two are dead and 18 are unaccounted for.
So, who do they want as prime minister? Let me rephrase that: who do they NOT WANT as prime minister? They DO NOT want Muhyiddin Yassin, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Najib Tun Razak, Mukhriz Mahathir, Anwar Ibrahim, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Azmin Ali, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Mohamad Sabu, and about 200 or so other MPs.
So how to appoint a new prime minister?
Let Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertua Agong choose the new prime minister as long as not Muhyiddin Yassin, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Najib Tun Razak, Mukhriz Mahathir, Anwar Ibrahim, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Azmin Ali, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Mohamad Sabu, and about 200 or so other MPs.
Okay, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has volunteered for the job. And since Zahid says the prime minister must be from Umno, then either Ku Li or DPM Ismail Sabri Yaakob has to be the new prime minister.
Sigh, that is what happens when you play Russian Roulette and hope the other player blinks first, but he does not. And now there is no turning back. Last night, Zahid announced that Umno is out of the government. Today, Najib did a U-turn and said Umno is NOT leaving the government after all. They just want Muhyiddin to leave and pass the baton to someone else, who will be left to the Agong to decide.
What if the Agong summons all 220 MPs to Istana Negara one by one and then titah that after interviewing all 220 MPs, in His Majesty’s judgement, Muhyiddin commands the confidence of the majority of the House and hence should remain as prime minister? That is called playing Russian Roulette.
