The biggest lesson following Umno’s decision to not allow its top two party posts to be challenged in the upcoming party elections – possibly in May – reflects how problematic the party structure is. Political analyst Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk said Umno’s party structure gives a lot of power to the president. It is a culture that has been in place for over 40 years.
“The party president is very powerful. He is able to appoint all the state chiefs. Supreme Council members are also appointed – by the president – into highly coveted positions, including secretary-general and information chief,” said Azeem.
“The party’s decision to not allow any challenges to the president’s, and deputy president’s posts, was anti-climatic. Although there are factions that are unhappy, Ahmad Zahid has clearly emerged victorious.”
Azeem, who is director of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Centre for Policy Research and International Studies however, said that the simmering dissatisfaction within Umno will not boil over into a full-blown crisis, similar to that in 1987.
The 1987 crisis saw the party being declared unlawful. It also gave birth to a splinter party, Semangat 46. “In the 1987 crisis, Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) (who went toe-to-toe with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the party presidency) managed to mount a strong challenge. “What we are seeing today is an anti-climatic verdict,” said Azeem.
He said the argument that the top two posts in Umno should not be contested to preserve its position in Putrajaya, also did not hold water.
“Khairy Jamaluddin (who had openly called for the top two positions in the party to be open for contest) had made it clear that they would continue to support the unity government. “Contest is healthy. At the end of the day, whoever emerges victorious will have legitimacy and the authority. That’s the whole point of having a democratic exercise,” said Azeem.
Azeem added Umno’s inability to reform was because it had not “tasted real defeat”. “Since 2018, Umno has only been out of the government for 22 months. It was part of (Tan Sri) Muhyiddin (Yassin’s) government, and even managed to appoint one of their own (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) as prime minister. And now, it is part of the ruling government.”
However, Azeem said the upcoming state elections will be an indicator to see if people were still with Umno. Six state elections are scheduled to be held simultaneously in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu, this year.
“This will give us a reading on the pulse on the ground. Regardless if Umno contests solo, or joins forces with PKR or Amanah, it will still have to contest in Malay majority seats.”
“I do not see Umno coming into power in Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Selangor, or even Penang. Even in Perak, Umno currently does not hold the majority of seats in the state assembly.
“This ‘extended lifeline’ Umno currently enjoys (being a part of the federal government) has been given to them by Pakatan Harapan. But judging by the number of seats the party currently holds in the Dewan Rakyat (26), Umno could possibly be wiped out in the next general election.
“This is why Umno needs to reform itself. But right now, Umno is like the plague or a virus that will just not go away,” he said. - twentytwo13
GRS 4 survives anti-hopping challenge...
The four Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) MPs accused of party hopping after the 15th general election have reportedly survived a challenge to vacate their seats. Papar MP Armizan Ali - who is one of the four - said they had received a copy of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul's reply on the matter to Beluran MP Ronald Kiandee.
"I cannot release the content of the email, but all I can say is that there is no need for us to vacate our seats," he was quoted as saying by The Star.
Armizan, Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan (Batu Sapi), Matbali Musah (Sipitang) and Jonathan Yassin (Ranau) were all Bersatu members in the lead-up to GE15. However, despite being aligned with Bersatu-led Perikatan Nasional, GRS ended up supporting Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.
GRS chief and then Sabah Bersatu chairperson Hajiji Noor subsequently led an exodus out of Bersatu, which raised questions about whether the quartet had violated the anti-hopping law. Under the Federal Constitution, MPs who quit or switch parties have to vacate their seats.
However, the four and other GRS candidates in GE15 claim they had quietly joined the coalition as direct members prior to GE15, and thus triggered a Bersatu party rule sacking those who are members of two parties. - mk
Seni politik Anwar yg dulu Mujahid alpakan bila dia ditampul kuasa sebagai Menteri Agama. Berkali kali saya menegur Mujahid. Tak susah pun merendah diri tetapi pulangannya lumayan. Pujian melambung kpd PMX dari Mufti utara.
Sekali Anwar ke Perlis pelbagai cerita dan naratif yg buatkan nama Muhyiddin dan Najib semakin dilupakan. Dulu pimpinan, ahli2 parti, penyokong tapi kini ia merebak kpd kakitangan kerajaan dan rakyat marhaen terpaksa ‘Menahan Diri.’ - Norman Redzuan
cheers.
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