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PETALING JAYA: Umno President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will count on the support of his party in any decision he makes regarding power sharing with the PPBM, according to a political analyst.
Awang Azman Pawi from Universiti Malaya told the FMT that Zahid had the support of most of Umno’s branches and divisions, especially in rural areas, for the simple reason that he rose from the party ranks.
“He is not from any political family or dynasty,” he said. “Nor did he get up with the help of his in-laws.
“Party members can relate to him like a commoner and he relates well to the rank and file.”
He noted the support Zahid had in the 2018 Umno elections, when he won the presidency by defeating Khairy Jamaluddin and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
However, he also said that there could be some concern among rank-and-file members that Zahid did not act against those who do not support Umno’s leadership, especially in the wake of what happened in Sabah.
He said rank-and-file members were angry at the uneven distribution of state seats during the Sabah elections and also at not consulting Umno on the appointment of a PAS member as an assemblyman and some other appointments.
“The decision to appoint a PAS assemblyman in Sabah is seen as a way for PPBM to work closely with PAS at the national level while Umno is being marginalized,” he added.
Awang Azman also said that those who supported Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister were a minority in the party and were doing so because of the positions assigned to them after Perikatan Nasional came to power.
Yesterday, party members told the FMT that several Umno deputies were supporting Muhyiddin to protect the positions and the advantages they had obtained from him.
Umno and PPBM are currently negotiating a new agreement in which Umno seeks greater influence in the government. The negotiations are taking place at a time when some Umno MPs are said to have agreed to endorse PKR President Anwar Ibrahim as the new prime minister if he accepts Umno’s terms.
Another political analyst, Azmi Hassan, said that only a minority of Umno MPs supported Muhyiddin.
“Their support for Muyhiddin may be temporary, as they will not get grassroots support to fight Zahid,” he told FMT.
Azmi, who recently retired from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said that grassroots sentiment against the PPBM because of the Sabah polls was strong.
“With such sentiments, those who support Muhyiddin are likely to return to their president or may receive the brunt of the anger from the rank and file,” he said.
