How Zahid Hamidi shot himself in the foot and accidentally exonerated Muhyiddin

Just because the Umno chief made his party’s candidates sign some documents before some lawyers and a commissioner of oath, he cannot claim to have powers that the constitution never granted him. 

Nehru Sathiamoorthy

In the latest episode in regards to the brouhaha aboutMuhyiddin and his 115 SD’s, Zahid Hamidi has entered into the fray  to give his two cents worth about the matter.

Previously, the Umno president has been silent, content to just let his lieutenants do the talking.

But I suppose the issue regarding Muhyiddin and his 115 SD’s has exploded to such an extent, that now the chief of Umno himself is feeling compelled to step in and quell the kerfuffle.

So how did the Umno chief do?

Well, to cut a long story short, In my opinion, Zahid Hamidi has fumbled very badly in handling the matter, because at the very onset itself,  he looks like he has scored an own goal.

So how did Zahid Hamidi shoot himself in the foot as he took aim at Muhyiddin?

Well, to put it simply, while aiming to discredit and dismiss Muhyiddin’s claim that he had the support of 115 MPs at the aftermath of GE 15, Zahid Hamidi has inadvertently verified Muhyiddin’s claim instead.

How did Zahid Hamidi do that?

Well, Zahid Hamidi started off by saying that although Muhyiddin had 115 SDs as he claimed, 10 of the SDs cannot be counted, and thus Muhyiddin only had 105 MPs supporting his bid to form the next government, which was insufficient.

In other words, Zahid himself has agreed that Muhyiddin indeed had 115 SDs of support from 115 MPs just like Muhyiddin claimed.

To make things even worse, when Zahid explained why 10 of the SDs that Muhyiddin had cannot be counted, his explanation might actually be faulted for making a reasonable man believe that that the 10 SDs should have actually been counted instead of discounted from Muhyiddin’s tally.

Why is this so?

Well, it is because according to Zahid, there are three reasons why the 10 SDs, which were incidentally, all from Umno and BN MPs, shouldn’t have been counted in favour of Muhyiddin, and his reasons are that, prior to the election, each BN parliamentary candidate had three documents, which 1) grants full authority to the BN chairman to form the government or create a coalition, 2) agree that the seat that the candidate won belongs to the party, not the individual, and 3) agree that a 100 million ringgit penalty will be imposed upon a candidate if they defect or support another party.

“These three documents were signed with video recordings in front of a commissioner for oaths and three lawyers. So, how can anyone dispute the actual situation when the numbers are insufficient?” Zahid then asked.

Well, to answer Zahid, just because something is signed with a video recording in front of a commissioner of oath and lawyers, doesn’t make it legal.

For example, if I can find a dodgy bunch of  lawyers and a commissioner of oaths that will agree to witness me signing an agreement with you that says that if you are unable to pay me the 100 ringgit that I am loaning you today by next month, you must be my slave for a year, that agreement cannot be considered valid, because it infringes on a higher law, that says that slavery is illegal in the country.

In the same manner, our constitution, which is the highest law in the country, has clearly stated that it is up to the 222 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat to  choose the Prime Minister who is fit to govern the country, not any party leader. Considering that, Zahid cannot just usurp the rights and powers of the MPs, which is granted by the constitution to the MPs, just by making them sign an agreement before some lawyers and a commissioner of oath.

The second agreement, which says that the seat that a candidate won belongs to the party, instead of the MPs, is likely null and void even at face value, because it really should be self-evident that the seat that that a MP wins in an election belongs to the MP, not the party or the president of the party that he or she belongs to. An election is an event where the electorate chooses a person that can best represent them in the parliament. A party has no direct role in an election. At best, a party can just be considered a facilitating organisation, that brings like minded individuals together, to make it easier for the electorate to choose their candidate. By the constitution, it is not the party or the party president that chooses the Prime Minister or forms the government, but the MPs. As a matter of fact, the constitution doesn’t even mention the party or the party president, what more give them any powers to form the government. Just because the Umno chief made his party’s candidates sign some documents before some lawyers and a commissioner of oath, he cannot claim to have powers that the constitution never granted him.

Lastly, the third agreement, which says that an MP must pay a 100 million ringgit fine if they defect or support another party, as despicable as it is in and of itself, doesn’t mean that the MPs cannot support the candidate of another party as the PM. It just means that they have to pay a 100 million ringgit fine if they support another party’s bid to form the government. In other words, the 10 MPs’ support for Muhyiddin should have still been considered as valid, even if it puts them at risk of having to pay a 100 million ringgit to Umno and BN later on.

As I have said in an earlier article, the best way to deal with a truth that does not favour us is with silence.

So far, everybody who has taken an offensive stance against Muhyiddin in the 115 SD case, is likely just shooting themselves in the foot. Muhyiddin, on the other hand, is likely reveling in the controversy. He is  gaining relevance and credibility the more that this issue becomes hot.

Before this issue cropped up, Muhyiddin’s political career was in a near comatose stage. His own allies and crews were probably convinced that they can’t catch any fish for so long as Muhyiddin is their captain, and it was only a matter of time before they decide that either they are going to need a new captain, or they will have to abandon the ship if Muhyiddin continues to insist on being the captain.

This 115 SD issue however, looks like it is giving Muhyiddin a much needed breath of life.

Maybe the gods are not done with Muhyiddin after all – that is why they are spitting him back to the limelight after he was almost swallowed by oblivion.

In any case, as of now, Anwar is still maintaining his silence about the matter of Muhyiddin and the 115 SDs.

I hope he will keep maintaining his silence, because I truly believe that silence is the best way for him to deal with the fiasco.

The events that unfolded in the aftermath of GE 15 is water under the bridge. Muhyiddin can rue it with his speech, but it will not change anything.

If Anwar were to just be silent and let Muhyiddin let things out of his chest, Muhyiddin will tire himself out after a while, and Anwar will win even without needing to fight.

As Sun Tzu remarked, to win without fighting is the best form of victory of them all.