The charade is over. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin wants Abdullah to step aside. At least that was the sting of the words he used when speaking to Federal Territory party members yesterday. "Pak Lah is my friend, but can he manage the current situation? He's a good man, but the situation has changed. I am being sincere," said the Umno vice-president, who has been ambivalent at best since Election 2008 on the prospect of Abdullah remaining in power.
His Cabinet colleagues have expected this day to come soon, noting that his body language and comments during meetings have been that of someone who was not on the same page with the prime minister. Muhyiddin was supposed to speak to the FT politicians about code of ethics but instead launched into an analysis of Abdullah's leadership and the challenging political landscape.
In his speech to the FT politicians, he sketched the current scenario in the country, noting that Umno and Barisan fared badly in the polls and lost the support of the young. The only consolation was that the BN snared 140 seats, eight short of its customary two-third majority in Parliament. He quoted liberally from Dr Mahathir’s criticism of Abdullah, saying that there must be drastic action in the party and leadership.
"We need to change, so that we don't go down and down. I'm quoting Dr M because he is a veteran leader who is worried that the Malays will lose power," he said, adding that neither Abdullah nor Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak nor supreme council members have framed the current political situation in these stark terms.
To manage this situation, Umno must be strong, he said.
"We cannot have a weak leader managing challenging circumstances. I am not saying this about present leadership, you can decide for yourself," he said.
Muhyiddin then went on to give instances of weak leadership. He said that he brought to Abdullah’s attention the need for Sabah and Sarawak to have adequate representation in the Cabinet.
"But now look at situation," he said, referring to disappointment by Sabah BN over the allocation of only three ministerial positions to the state.
Then Muhyiddin turned to the standoff over the appointment of the menteris besar of Perlis and Terengganu with the Malay Rulers which eventually resulted in Abdullah backing down.
"Why? Because of weak leadership. You say you're strong, but you're weak. I am going to speak as I'm a vice-president. Many people are still in denial," he said.
By taking this position, Muhyiddin is clearly throwing his name forward to party members as someone who can be considered for either the party president or deputy president at the Umno elections in December. Supporters of Datuk Seri Najib and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said that intermediaries said to be acting on behalf of the Minister of International Trade and Industry has reached out to them recently over the possibility of forming a tag team for the elections.
But they did not get any joy from either camp. Najib remains loyal to Abdullah while Tengku Razaleigh is content to push for his reform agenda on his own steam. Still, Muhyiddin has other options. He can lead the opposition against Abdullah and offer himself as the next party president.
Alternatively, he can quit Cabinet, the government and offer to return only after Abdullah has relinquished power.
For Abdullah, the signs are clear. This could be the beginning of a revolt against his leadership by some power brokers in Umno. Since Election 2008, he has had to fend off calls for his resignation. But none of these critics were from the supreme council, the party’s highest decision-making body.
Muhyiddin’s comments yesterday could embolden other senior party officials to come forward and speak out against the current leadership and give strength to Dr Mahathir’s campaign to oust Abdullah.
Abdullah has only two choices: use all the powers of incumbency and fight like never before to stay in office. Or set an earlier date for the transition of power to Najib.
Courtesy: Malaysian Insider
