Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government fought off a major assault by the opposition in the six state assembly elections on Saturday (Aug 12) to comfortably ward off any potential threat to the national leadership. But the humiliating electoral setbacks suffered by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) is presenting Mr Anwar with some very awkward challenges in the coming months.
The sweeping rejection UMNO suffered in the Malay-dominated states of Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu has further cemented the widely held view that the party, which fought for independence in 1957, has been reduced to a marginal player in national politics. Of the 108 seats that UMNO and its partners in the National Front (Barisan Nasional) coalition contested in the state polls, it only won 19.
UMNO and its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi played key roles in Mr Anwar’s rise to the premiership after the inconclusive November general elections. It was only after UMNO threw its support behind the PH coalition to establish a simple majority in parliament that other reluctant regional parties in Sabah and Sarawak followed suit and paved the way for the formation of a government with a two-thirds majority. UMNO’s crucial role in the process also afforded it senior roles in the PH coalition government.
Now, Mr Anwar must now reconsider UMNO’s dominant role in his government. Embattled UMNO president Ahmad Zahid is one of Malaysia’s two deputy prime ministers and several party politicians occupy senior Cabinet portfolios, including the Investment, Trade and Industry and the Defence ministries. A Cabinet reshuffle in the coming weeks is not being ruled out.
To be sure, Mr Anwar’s position as premier and his government’s hold on power are in no threat. The weekend’s elections also very much retained the political landscape that held before the dissolution of the assemblies in late July.
The PH coalition kept control of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang, while Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah went back to the right-wing Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), which is the dominant member of the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition together with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).
“PH and Anwar did alright by retaining the states they controlled, and the government can move ahead. But for UMNO, I am not so sure,” UMNO’s former treasurer Abdul Zahim Mohd Zabidi told CNA, adding that rumblings of an internal rebellion in the party have already begun.“Unless there is some leadership change, UMNO is doomed,” he added.
UMNO, which ruled Malaysia with the leadership of the National Front (Barisan Nasional) coalition since independence, was kicked out of power in May 2018 on the back of widespread public anger over the international scandal at state-owned 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). The financial fiasco subsequently led to the conviction and jailing of former UMNO president and Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak over corruption.
Mr.Ahmad Zahid subsequently took over the party leadership and consolidated his power by removing his opponents and packing the leadership of the powerful 25-member supreme council body with his allies. But the party no longer endears itself to the Malay community and that, in turn, has become a serious problem for Mr Anwar, who is struggling to build his government’s own credentials with the majority Malay community.
Mr Ahmad Zahid’s presence in government has long been controversial because he is facing charges of corruption and the trial is ongoing. Even Mr Anwar’s closest supporters have privately stated that Mr Ahmad Zahid’s role in government undermines the prime minister’s tough stance on the abuse of power and political corruption.
Mr Anwar had campaigned in recent weeks for Malaysians, particularly the Malays who make up more than 60 per cent of the country’s 33.57 million people, to break away from the politics of race and religious rhetoric promoted by the opposition.
But UMNO leaders acknowledge that unless a leadership change takes place soon, the prospect of the party renewing its appeal with ordinary Malays is remote. “The problem is the Zahid leadership and the party will continue to be rejected as long as there is no change,” said a senior party official, who asked not to be named.- Leslie Lopez CNA
Anwar did good but Zahid
responsible for BN’s losses in polls...
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was successful in defending Pakatan Harapan’s strongholds in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang, but it is Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who must take responsibility for BN’s losses in last night’s state elections.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said even though Anwar did not manage to penetrate Perikatan Nasional (PN) strongholds in Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah - his success in the other three states must be commended.
“Anwar as the prime minister, Harapan as a political coalition and PKR did not lose in this state election. There were some areas which fell to PN but strategically, the three states led by Harapan before this were maintained. “The one who clearly lost and needs to be responsible for the defeat of Umno in the 89 seats they contested with the BN logo is Zahid,” Hassan said in a statement today.
PN’s propaganda in their campaign is that Harapan-BN will lose badly and they will take over Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang, he said, but this did not happen. PKR and Harapan remain the choice of Malaysians for the next generation, Hassan stressed.
However, he said Anwar and Harapan should review the results of the state elections closely before heading into the next general election. The most important thing the prime minister should do is to regain the support of the Malay Muslims who have clearly shifted a majority of their support to PN in this election, he added.
“Anwar should continue to be given the opportunity to take on the responsibility to save the country which is multi-racial, multi-religious from being destroyed by the extreme right-wing political leaders, among which are in PN,” Hassan said.
While Harapan-BN managed to retain its two-thirds majority in Negeri Sembilan and Penang, they only succeeded in forming a simple majority in Selangor, with PN winning 22 out of the 56 seats in the state. BN suffered heavy losses in Selangor, Penang and Kelantan and was totally wiped out in Terengganu and Kedah. PN made a clean sweep in Terengganu, winning all the state seats. - mk
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