Twentytwo13

In axing veterans, Ahmad Zahid has done what no other Umno leader dared to do

There is a well-known Javanese proverb that says “It does not matter whether we have food or not, the most important thing is we stay together.”

That shows how deeply the Javanese value togetherness.

It also explains the bold move by Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the Umno president with Javanese roots, in removing seasoned politicians from the line-up in Malaysia’s 15th General Election.

Umno had ‘tolerated’ togetherness throughout the decades up until its humiliating outing in the 2018 general election that saw Barisan Nasional (BN) being rejected after being in power for 45 years.

Why tolerated? This is because Umno continued to work with its long-time coalition partners MCA and MIC despite the declining support from the grassroots of the two race-based parties way before 2018.

The spirit of ‘togetherness’ within Umno and the coalition was quickly ignored after 2018. Datuk Seri Najib Razak, embroiled in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal, became the scapegoat as he faced the wrath of Umno politicians, including those who were all full of adulation of him before the May 9, 2018, drubbing.

Following the downfall of Pakatan Harapan after its short-lived, 22-month stint in Putrajaya, and after Perikatan Nasional’s Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was forced to step down as prime minister after 17 months in office, Umno finally managed to regain a toehold in Putrajaya.

But it could only do so through its vice-president, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

That was simply unprecedented. Never before had an Umno president play “supporter”. In the past, the prime minister had always been the Umno president.

To bolster Umno’s position in the government, Ismail Sabri included familiar faces in his Cabinet. They included seasoned politicians like Tan Sri Annuar Musa, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, Khairy Jamaluddin, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin, and Datuk Halimah Sadique.

But there was a growing rift. The spirit of togetherness was again not seen as the battle between ‘Umno party’ and ‘Umno Cabinet’ became increasingly evident.

Ahmad Zahid and his party loyalists were pushing for the 15th General Election to be held after BN won the Melaka and Johor state elections (held last November, and in March, respectively).

Cabinet members used the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic downturn, and even the monsoon season as excuses to hold on to power for slightly longer.

Yet, Ismail Sabri finally caved in, and Malaysia will head to the polls on Nov 19. It comes as the nation’s Meteorological Department warned that the monsoon season will hit earlier than expected.

Ahmad Zahid waited for the perfect opportunity to flex his muscles. As Parliament is now dissolved, he is now the main man – who wields more power than Ismail Sabri – and he knows it.

By dropping veterans like Annuar, Shahidan, Zahidi, Tan Sri Noh Omar, and Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman from GE15, it is clear that Ahmad Zahid wants true loyalists.

In fact, Noh Omar, in a tell-all at a function in Tanjong Karang on Nov 4, had said that he had been “accused of going against, and betraying the party”.

That’s Ahmad Zahid – the man who went after all those whom he believed had gone against him, and the party.

Yet, Khairy Jamaluddin was somewhat spared. Perhaps dropping the son-in-law of former Umno president Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would be seen as a sign of disrespect for the former leader. Also, Umno needs a face that has been widely portrayed as an intellectual. That provides good optics for the party.

However, Khairy didn’t get his Rembau parliamentary seat and will now slug it out in Sungai Buloh. The risks are always there. In any election, it’s always 50-50.

It is no secret that Najib isn’t a big fan of some of these influential figures. But he was rather diplomatic in his approach and preferred to keep his ‘enemies’ close.

Not so, Ahmad Zahid.

If MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong had read Ahmad Zahid’s move on the night he announced BN’s candidates for the election, he would not have organised a press conference the very next day to claim that a “miscommunication” had resulted in Ahmad Zahid reading out an MIC’s representative’s name for the Batu parliamentary seat, instead of a representative from MCA.

BN’s candidate for Batu is MIC man Datuk A. Kohilan Pillay, as revealed on nomination day yesterday.

Judging by what Ahmad Zahid had done to his own party members, Wee will now need to watch his back. The same goes for MIC president, Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran, who was nowhere to be seen when Ahmad Zahid announced the names of BN election candidates at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 1.

Despite efforts to downplay it, there is a deepening undercurrent within Barisan Nasional. There were talks that MIC had wanted to sit out GE15 as they were unhappy with the seat allocation. This coming from a party that would be lucky to win one, if not two, of the 10 seats they are contesting.

There were insiders who claimed that MCA and MIC had even “threatened” to pull out from BN. Ahmad Zahid as BN chairman, would not take such threats lightly.

Ahmad Zahid’s move has seen disgruntled Umno and Barisan Nasional members voicing their displeasure publically.

But it has also drawn admiration from sceptics who believe that Umno finally has a leader who has the courage to take on the big names.

But Ahmad Zahid’s biggest problem is that he himself is embroiled in corruption charges.

In September, he was freed by the Shah Alam High Court of 40 graft charges in the Foreign Visa System case. However, he still faces 47 other charges, including for alleged criminal breach of trust amounting to RM31 million belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi, which the former deputy prime minister leads.

Ahmad Zahid has baggage and some Malaysians will not be able to accept the fact that he could, in one way or another, become prime minister should BN team up with another coalition to form the government of the day. That explains why Pakatan Harapan has gone to town, saying that a vote for BN is a vote for Ahmad Zahid as prime minister.

Umno is in dire need of a massive reset. Ahmad Zahid has started the ball rolling by getting rid of the old guard, but he has yet to instil the spirit of togetherness, or even stability.

In fact, some say that cracks within Umno and BN have reappeared, yet again.

The only way forward perhaps, is if Ahmad Zahid declares that he has no interest in becoming prime minister if BN wins, and allows new, fresh faces to chart the fortunes of the party.

Only then, can Umno and BN rely on its GE15 narrative of stability, and finally work in the spirit of togetherness.