[ad_1]
UALA LUMPUR – Umno’s leadership has demanded a cabinet shakeup to adhere to the official hierarchy in Malaysia’s largest ruling party, putting embattled Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in a quandary over whether to agree to the ultimatum that would mean appointing ministers with cases. of bribes hanging over their heads.
The Straits Times learned that emissaries, including Umno’s Secretary General Ahmad Maslan, presented their case to the prime minister on Wednesday (October 14), after the political bureau of the party chaired by President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi decided on the Tuesday that would establish new conditions in return. for their continued support of the government of Perikatan Nasional (PN).
It would mean leaving up to four Umno ministers allied to Tan Sri Muhyiddin who are not on the supreme council of the once dominant Malay party, and instead installing leaders, including Zahid and Ahmad, who face corruption charges or are implicated in lawsuits of ongoing corruption.
“As president of Umno, Zahid would have to be above Vice President Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is now the prime minister, that is, the deputy prime minister,” said a ruling pact official.
Muhyiddin’s cabinet has four high-level ministers but no deputy prime minister, and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia has 11 ministers compared to Umno’s nine.
When contacted about the possibility of such a reorganization, Bersatu’s chief information officer, Wan Saiful Wan Jan, responded that party chairman Muhyiddin has repeatedly stressed that “the party must uphold a government committed to integrity and unity. among the Muslim faithful. “
“The Cabinet can be made up of qualified people based on these principles,” he told ST.
Muhyiddin has relied on a divided Umno, whose schisms he has helped widen, to keep abreast of Malaysian politics since he took office seven months ago.
Although there is a faction, mostly composed of those who enjoy plum positions in the government, in Umno loyal to the Premier, dissent from having to play a secondary role among the rest of the party leadership has reached a point algid.
This comes amid a power struggle after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim claimed Tuesday after an audience with the King that he had the support of more than 120 members of the 222-member Parliament. However, it has not provided evidence for this claim.
With other prominent party figures gaining influence, Zahid, a former deputy prime minister, has called for a reorganization of the government ahead of Umno’s leadership elections scheduled for next year.
The weakening of his grip on the party was evidenced by Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa, a former Zahid-appointed Umno secretary-general, who criticized job searches amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“I am puzzled that questions about positions are suddenly taking center stage in opposition to Rakyat safety and economic concerns,” he said Thursday.
Official sources confirm that Datuk Seri Anwar presented the Palace with promises of support from party leaders, including Zahid.
“If Zahid doesn’t get what he wants from Muhyiddin, then he would rather go with Anwar as he would hamper the party’s rivals favored by the current prime minister,” said a source with knowledge of the discussions.
However, sources in the ruling pact revealed that Malaysia’s longest-serving legislator, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, has also jumped into the ring.
Their action would suit those in Umno unhappy with Muhyiddin, without them having to back Anwar, a nemesis for the past two decades, or cooperate with Anwar’s China-dominated ally Democratic Action Party (DAP), whom they accuse of try to undermine. Malay-Muslim interests.
ST understands that Zahid summoned the council’s supreme leaders on Thursday to convince them to back his plans instead of those proposed by Tengku Razaleigh, the head of the party’s advisory council, who wants to remain prime minister until the end of the current parliamentary term. in 2023 before retiring.
Bersatu officials believe its president, whose PN had close control of parliament with just 113 MPs before this week’s drama, remains the front-runner, given divisions among other suitors.
Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan has 91 MPs and would need more than half of Umno on his side to overtake Muhyiddin. But the DAP, which has 42 MPs, warned that it would not be part of a government with the likes of Zahid or former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been convicted of corruption in the 1MDB scandal.
“Even if Muhyiddin has lost the majority, no one else has. Indeed, he can lead a minority government until the vote on the Budget 2021 at the end of November, which will give him time to negotiate the necessary support to pass it, ”said a party leader.
“Otherwise, you can do a shakeup of Umno ministers, but this would put an end to the hopes of quick polls, as there would be too much negative perception.”
Factions of Umno: A House Divided
1. President Zahid Hamidi and predecessor Najib Razak
After Najib resigned when Umno lost the 2018 election, his deputy Zahid held the top job. While both remain highly influential in the party, both work under clouds of corruption charges, and Najib appealed against a 12-year sentence, having been convicted of corruption involving the 1MDB saga.
But together they could command more than half of the party’s 39 MPs, making them the main agents of power in Malaysia’s current political turmoil, who could still lean towards the post of prime minister in the future.
2. Big winners from the Muhyiddin Yassin administration
As Prime Minister of Security, Vice President Ismail Sabri Yaakob is the party’s top government official. Meanwhile, former Vice President Hishammuddin Hussein does not hold any national office in Umno, but his position as the top leader was consolidated after he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. They are unlikely to support a shakeup of the current government or a new prime minister in the form of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
If the status quo prevails, these figures could be tilted to take the leadership of Zahid’s party.
3. Non-aligned movement
Many in the party have no affection for the current leadership, nor for Muhyiddin’s prime minister. While the current bid by Malaysia’s oldest MP, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, to become prime minister is simply the latest of several attempts since 1987, others believe that Umno must return to his former dominance to claim the top prize.
Vice President Mohamad Hasan has been at the forefront of those who insist that Umno, who has ruled for more than six decades, should not bow down to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, but strive to reform itself and regain its former glory. Implicit in this narrative is the need to move away from the old leadership.
Former youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin unsuccessfully ran for the presidency after Umno lost power in 2018, which was also based on renewal.
The science, technology and innovation minister in a radio interview on Friday (October 16) told politicians that they are “scheming” to “stop the nonsense … if you don’t have the numbers, get out.”
Most of these leaders would not want to allow Datuk Seri Anwar to be prime minister and prioritize a changing of the guard in Umno.
[ad_2]
