How Zahid and Najib “main belakang” Anwar
The Malays would call this kena main belakang. And it looks like Najib and Zahid also pandai main belakang, as Anwar has now discovered. But there is a slight flaw in the plan. Najib and Zahid should not have left it to the Agong to decide who should be PM9. And now, to Najib’s and Zahid’s horror, that job has gone to Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
What happened to Anwar Ibrahim was the same as what happened to Saddam Hussein in August 1990. Saddam was led to believe that the United States had no objections to Iraq’s plan to retake Kuwait, which used to be Iraq territory, and that the US would treat this as an internal matter.
In fact, the US warned the royal family to leave the country because they knew way in advance Iraq was going to invade Kuwait — and the US told the royal family the US was not going to stop Saddam from doing so.
Then, after Iraq took Kuwait, the US invaded Iraq. Basically, it was a trap and Saddam walked right into it thinking that the US was behind him.
Najib Tun Razak and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also led Anwar into a trap. They made it look like 15 Umno MPs would support Anwar to take over as PM9 once Muhyiddin Yassin is ousted. All Najib and Zahid want is for Muhyiddin to be brought down. Who takes over as PM after that is not important, as long as it is not Muhyiddin.
But who do Najib and Zahid, plus the 13 other Umno MPs, want as PM9? Leave that to Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, they replied. Let the Agong decide who should be PM9. Just follow the Federal Constitution of Malaysia.
Meanwhile, DAP discussed with Muhyiddin about forming a unity government plus about implementing Pakatan Harapan’s reform agenda. Thinking that this will finally calm down Malaysia’s political turmoil, Muhyiddin agreed and last Saturday announced it.
Anwar Ibrahim and the DAP leaders aligned to him rejected Muhyiddin’s proposal. Why should they accept it when 15 Umno MPs support Anwar to take over as PM9?
Fed up with this betrayal, Muhyiddin decided to resign — and all the coaxing and persuading from everyone, including his family, could not change his mind. On Monday, Muhyiddin resigned.
The Agong then decreed that all 220 MPs are to submit their signed letters confirming their choice of new prime minister. The 15 Umno MPs who supported the ouster of Muhyiddin, and who were also supposed to support Anwar as PM9, withdrew support for Anwar.
Anwar was supposed to get 120 votes. He received just 100 (20 votes short) — out of which 15 were the Umno votes, which Najib and Zahid had promised him. The other five were from Pejuang and Muda.
Najib and Zahid had main belakang Anwar. They needed to give the impression that they supported him for PM9 to get the Pakatan Harapan votes, without which they could not oust Muhyiddin. But once Muhyiddin was ousted, they abandoned Anwar and left him high and dry.
Saddam discovered the hard way that the US had played him out. And now Anwar has also learned that all Najib and Zahid wanted was to use him to get rid of Muhyiddin so that Umno could come back to power. And once Muhyiddin was ousted, Najib and Zahid threw Anwar under the bus.
The Malays would call this kena main belakang. And it looks like Najib and Zahid also pandai main belakang, as Anwar has now discovered. But there is a slight flaw in the plan. Najib and Zahid should not have left it to the Agong to decide who should be PM9. And now, to Najib’s and Zahid’s horror, that job has gone to Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
