The Umno-Bersatu squabble is a personal fight
This is a personal issue and about how Najib will be remembered — as the man who blundered big time and caused Umno to be kicked out. Hence Najib must shift the blame to Muhyiddin and paint him as the backstabber who betrayed Umno. And this is the reason why Najib (and Zahid) hate Muhyiddin so much. They have lost face and they wish to redeem themselves by destroying Muhyiddin and Bersatu.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Malays are being duped into believing that the Umno-Bersatu fight is about the interests of Umno and the future of the party. The truth is it has nothing to do with the party. What most do not know is, the Umno-Bersatu squabble is a personal fight between Najib Tun Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin, which started 15 years ago back in 2006. It has nothing to do with party ideology or doctrine, or for the interest and future of Umno.
In 2006, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad decided he had made a mistake appointing Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as PM5 and in June of that year Tun made his move to oust Pak Lah. Tun ordered then DPM Najib to oust Pak Lah, but Najib refused. Najib even issued a public statement that, as number two, he must remain loyal to the PM.
This upset Mahathir. So Mahathir decided to back Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the new PM with Muhyiddin as his number two. John Pang, one of Khairy Jamaluddin’s ‘Tingkat Empat’ boys, who was also in Team Muhyiddin, then sat down with Ku Li’s people to plan how to oust Pak Lah and Najib. The plan was for Ku Li to take over as PM6 with Muhyiddin as DPM.
Ku Li, however, did not want to follow what Mahathir wanted. Mahathir’s plan was to set up a council of elders who would guide the new prime minister. Ku Li replied that if he is the PM then he will decide what happens and will not be a proxy PM to a council of elders.
That defiance forced Mahathir to dump Ku Li and turn back to Najib as PM6 with Muhyiddin as the number two. So, under Mahathir’s orders, Muhyiddin now had to accept Najib instead of Ku Li as PM, but with him still as number two.
In 2009, Pak Lah was ousted and was replaced with Najib and Muhyiddin as PM and DPM respectively.
By 2013 Mahathir had got fed up with Najib. When the 1MDB scandal erupted, Mahathir saw this as a catalyst to oust Najib. He then asked Muhyiddin to make the move to play up the 1MDB issue to bring down Najib. Mahathir asked Muhyiddin to do to Najib the same thing what he asked Najib to do to Pak Lah.
In July 2015, Najib got rid of Muhyiddin and replaced him with Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. In 2016, Muhyiddin formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) and, in 2018, together with Pakatan Harapan, he ousted Najib, Umno and Barisan Nasional.
The defeat of Najib, Umno and BN in the May 2018 general election was the result of Najib’s boys wrongly gauging the sentiments of the voters. They thought Umno and BN were invincible, and were proven wrong.
Pakatan Harapan on its own, with just PKR, DAP and Amanah, and without Bersatu, would not have been able to defeat Umno and BN in the general election. It was Bersatu that made it possible for PH to bring down Umno-BN. Hence their hatred for Muhyiddin and Bersatu is higher than their hatred for PH.
Umno even reneged on the electoral pact they had made with PAS, thinking they are strong enough without PAS. After agreeing on an electoral pact with PAS, Umno did a U-turn and took on PAS and Pakatan Harapan in three-corner fights in the Malay constituencies. And the Malay voters decided to vote Pakatan Harapan instead.
It was a tragic mistake Najib’s boys made, and it cost them the government. But they cannot admit that the failure was their own doing and due to their arrogance and overconfidence. They need someone to blame, a kambing hitam, so they are putting this blame on Muhyiddin — suggesting that Muhyiddin is a katak who betrayed Umno.
But Najib had sacked Muhyiddin from Umno in July 2015. And Muhyiddin did not form Bersatu until September 2016, which is 14 months later. Muhyiddin did not leave Umno or defect to join Bersatu, or become a katak, as they suggest. Bersatu was formed after Muhyiddin was no longer in any party. And he did not leave Umno but was forced out of Umno.
And that is why Najib is so angry with Muhyiddin. Ex-Umno leader Onn Jaafar went against Umno and failed. Ex-Umno leader Ku Li went against Umno and failed. Ex-Umno leader Anwar Ibrahim went against Umno and failed. But ex-Umno leader Muhyiddin went against Umno and succeeded. And that happened on Najib’s watch.
Najib needs to wash that blemish from his track record. He needs to defeat Muhyiddin and restore Umno’s lost fortunes. And that can only happen if Muhyiddin and Bersatu can be killed and buried for good. So long as Muhyiddin and his party are still in power, then Najib would lose face.
This is a personal issue and about how Najib will be remembered — as the man who blundered big time and caused Umno to be kicked out. Hence Najib must shift the blame to Muhyiddin and paint him as the backstabber who betrayed Umno. And this is the reason why Najib (and Zahid) hate Muhyiddin so much. They have lost face and they wish to redeem themselves by destroying Muhyiddin and Bersatu.
