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KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR / ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – Three men can determine what happens in Putrajaya in the coming weeks.
Two harbor hopes of becoming the next prime minister, while the third has been prime minister twice.
Veteran Umno leader Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim basically stare at each other for the position of prime minister, while former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has endorsed one. from them.
By now it is quite apparent that Razaleigh, or Ku Li as he is better known, and Dr. Mahathir have joined forces to prevent Anwar from claiming the post of prime minister.
“We are considering the joining of two former adversaries to defeat Anwar,” said Azmi Anshar, a media consultant and insider on recent political developments.
A group photo of Dr. Mahathir, Ku Li, and Dr. Mahathir’s wife, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali (Ku Li and Siti Hasmah are holding hands, by the way) has been circulating.
The message they are sending is that despite their troubled history, the two men have been united by a common enemy.
They are old rivals, but also the same in a way: Dr. Mahathir calls Razaleigh “Li”, while Razaleigh is one of the few politicians who addresses the old man as “Mahathir”.
Azmi said that the publication of Razaleigh’s letter urging spokesman Dewan Rakyat to expedite a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that Dr. Mahathir had filed in March was a deliberate move.
“It was done with a purpose. On one level, it is aimed at Muhyiddin. On another level, it is to clear the air and dispel claims that his audience with the King was in favor of Anwar.
“Ku Li is not with Anwar. He is telling Anwar and Muhyiddin that the constitutional way out of the impasse is to test the numbers in Parliament,” Azmi said.
According to Azmi, Ku Li may be seeking to form a “unity government” comprising political parties as well as individual parliamentarians.
There is a great Malay power game involving various groups, each pushing their own agenda and goal.
Aside from Anwar’s takeover offer and Mahathir-Ku Li’s blockade, Umno is showing his muscles in the background.
Umno’s threat to withdraw from the Perikatan Nasional government was only part of the story from the party’s political bureau meeting on Wednesday.
Umno is known to have issued a multi-pronged ultimatum to the Prime Minister.
The first demand is to appoint a deputy prime minister of Umno on the grounds that the party is the largest in the ruling coalition.
It is obvious that the demand is to position the party for the highest office after the next general election.
The second demand is a mini cabinet reshuffle to give more “base portfolios” to Umno.
Umno also wants the Prime Minister to establish a presidential council so that all parties can have their say on important policies.
Umno leaders have been unhappy with what they see as inconsequential portfolios handed over to their ministers, while Bersatu ministers received portfolios such as rural development and agriculture.
“We were patient, but we will no longer be intimidated. What happened in Sabah was an important lesson.
“They (Bersatu) took our seats, turned the independents against us, then took the post of Chief Minister,” said a Umno chieftain from Melaka.
A source from Umno said that the post of deputy prime minister does not necessarily have to go to party chairman Datuk Seri, Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
From what I understand, the party has indicated that it should go to “someone older” and who has the experience for the position.
“It could be Zahid, Mat Hasan (Vice President Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan), Ismail Sabri (Vice President Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri) or even Datuk Seri Annuar Musa,” said the source.
Johor Umno Vice President Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the tough stance his party chairman has taken lately has “100% support” from the party ranks.
“This is not about his court case. Zahid has tried to please the government, but from now on we want him to be firm about what the party wants,” Nur Jazlan said.
Umno leaders at the political bureau meeting were reluctant to confirm this, but it emerged that Zahid admitted to having issued an “letter of support” to Anwar for the latter’s audience with the King.
The meeting accepted his explanation that it was a “tactical move” to show that Umno can be the kingmaker and that without Umno’s deputies, neither side will have the numbers to form the government.
“It has been a crazy week in politics. Now we know who our friends and enemies are, as well as the frogs and snakes,” said Umno high councilor and Kok Lanas assemblyman Datuk Alwi Che Ahmad.
Like many in Umno, Alwi was shocked by Ku Li’s move.
Ku Li is an advisor to Umno, but the party was unaware of what the prince of Kelantan was doing.
But that’s Ku Li: he has a mind of his own and he’s not afraid to say and do what he thinks is right.
The irony of Ku Li and Anwar is that the position of prime minister has been that elusive dream for both of them.
Or as Alwi said, Dr. Mahathir’s “kena game”. By that, he meant that Dr. Mahathir had “played” the two men in certain chapters of his career.
The Malay power game is still unfolding and the end is not in sight.
However, things may come to a head during Parliament’s budget session, when Muhyiddin will have to gather the votes for the 2021 budget to pass.
A perfect storm swirls around Muhyiddin. The seasoned politician has weathered many storms, but can he overcome this one?
The writer is a columnist for The Star. The newspaper is a member of the media partner of The Straits Times Asia News Network, an alliance of 24 media titles.
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