`


THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
read:
MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

LOVE MALAYSIA!!!


 


Wednesday, October 15, 2014

As Najib totters, Umno ponders succession combo: HISHAM-KHAIRY or ZAHID-MUKHRIZ?

As Najib totters, Umno ponders succession combo: HISHAM-KHAIRY or ZAHID-MUKHRIZ?
It will be interesting how former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s game plan unfolds in the coming months.
If the recent predictions made by former New Straits Times managing editor, Datuk Kadir Jasin came true, prime minister, Najib Abdul Razak may not lead the Barisan Government into the next General Election.
The political development within UMNO seems to suggest that the Mahathir camp, comprising Home Minister, Zahid Ahmad Hamidi and Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz is trying to oust the Khairy-Hishamuddin camp.
The coming Umno general assembly from November 27 to Nov 29 will be something to watch, as it may suggest that Najib’s own political career may be shortlived, unless he is able to draw the support of the grassroots.
In the last 10 years that he has been the prime minister, there is little results to show, but the blunders that he made are aplenty.
Currently, there are indications that Dr Mahathir is trying to unseat Najib, his once blue eye boy, in the same manner he did to Abdullah A. Badawi.
Testing the Waters
When Kadir Jasin, who is aligned to Dr Mahathir, wrote about Khairy Jamaluddin becoming a potential candidate for premiership, in my opinion, Kadir was merely sending out feelers to find out whether Khairy is well-received by the general public, as well as within UMNO.
By testing out the people’s response, Kadir would be able to help Mahathir assess the popularity of the son-in-law of Abdullah Badawi. By floating the idea that Khairy being the next in line, the Mahathir would be able to assess Khairy’s popularity compared to his own son, Mukhriz.
After setting up the platform for Abdullah and Najib to helm the nation, the octogenarian know that his remaining years will not be many. To preserve his legacy, Mukhriz would be his obvious choice to put on the pedestal. After all, which father would not set priority for his own son to reach the height of the political ladder?
Whether the lackluster Mukhriz would be able to live up to the expectation of the people of Malaysia, or whether Mukhriz would further drag down the name of his ‘troublemaker-father’ (at least in the eyes of some now) is yet to be seen.
Divide and Win
But, it is also obvious what Kadir was doing was to place a wedge between Defence Minister, Hishamuddin Hussein and Khairy so that the Hishamuddin-Khairy partnership would not pose a threat to both Home Affairs Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Mukhriz.
Hishamuddin, of course, is aligned to Najib, both being cousins. By blocking Hishamuddin from moving forward, Mahathir could assure a quicker movement upward for Mukhriz.
When Khairy and Hishammuddin are at odds with one another, the Zahid-Mukhriz formula would proceed ahead to take over the top two posts in the country.
Mahathir knows that if Najib stepped down, and deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin Yasin decided to call it quit, Hishamuddin would be next in line, before Zahid, Khairy or Mukhriz.
Mahathir knows that at this juncture, his son is nowhere in the line of succession, but would depend largely on an alliance like Zahid.
Currently the Menteri Besar of Kedah, Mukhriz, who has mainly lived in the shadow of his father, lost to Khairy in the UMNO Youth race.
The Oxford-trained Khairy, known for being a chameleon, could change colours, and when Najib took over the helm from Abdullah, he was made a full minister, whereas the former Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Mukhriz, was subsequently kept out of national politics after the 13th General Election.
Sources close to Umno say that Khairy poses a major threat to Mukhriz’s ambition, but it depends on how Mahathir plays the game by riding on Zahid, who is taking a hard stance against the voice of dissent in order to garner support for himself amongst UMNO warlords.
Mahathir would want Zahid to use the Sedition Act to stop his critics from further exposing his political manoeuvres and abuses.
Recently, Zahid’s position was further strengthened within the ranks and files in UMNO because as Home Minister, he was able to implement the wishes of UMNO division heads, who had apparently met up with the Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police.
The Opposition is questioning both the AG and the IGP whether it was true that the UMNO warlords had wanted the Sedition Act to be used against the voice of dissent. Despite the Sedition Act being a bane to the BN Government, in his reply, Zahid unashamedly declared that the draconian law would continue to be used. This was despite Najib’s promise on several occasions to repeal the Act.
In so doing, Zahid was able to show his supporters that, unlike Najib, he is capable of flexing his muscles, whereas Hishamuddin, who is currently holding the defence portfolio, is unable to do much to prove his worth.
The question that one has to ask come November is: will the drama unfold, or will the Mahathir camp wait another year before he takes the carpet off Najib? A year down the road would simply mean that Umno and other BN component parties may not have sufficient time to familiarize themselves with the new leadership. - MAILBAG

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.